Love The Way You Lie
by Naiira Harlow
Summary: Back and Revamped! Naiira is an orphan with special powers she can't explain. After being adopted by Tony Stark she begins to build a bond with a certain god who can show her more about herself than she ever imagined to be real. Loki/OC and Tony/Pepper with some Jane/Thor/Sif and Clint/Natasha. Rated M for later sexual scenes and violence. You were warned.
1. Chapter 1

I was strange for a human. In many ways I felt inhuman. My parents left me when I was born on the steps of the orphanage and since then I never fit in. Most kids were interested in dolls and building blocks while I became fascinated with technology. By the age of seven I could fully disassemble a desktop computer and by nine I could put it back together in the correct order of function. The mistress of the orphanage was very attracted to Tony Stark, leader of Stark enterprises and one of the best engineers in the world. Her entire private collection of books was written by Stark and through his words I entered into a new domain.

At eleven I was freely fixing electronic appliances in the orphanage without being seen. Yet despite my entire intellectual prowess, there was no one to share it with. All of the other kids thought I was weird, a freak for my unnatural habits and strange colored ethereal blue eyes. None of the couples who came through would adopt me, mostly because despite my intellect for a young age I was dangerously shy.

It was one day that I started tinkering with an old pocket watch I had found in the grass when my strangeness hit its peak. I started giving off a strange blue energy that fixed any device I touched. I even got a flashlight to work without the batteries! There were voices that started appearing in my head, people talking about me, about themselves and others. I had discovered the ability to read minds. With practice I was able to choose who I listened to and blocked out the noise most of the time. By the time I turned fifteen, I was a full fledged freak. Some of the kids had seen my so called powers and though the adults pretended not to believe, they still gave me a wide berth.

I was alone and for a while I thought that I would stay that way. That is until my sixteenth birthday when something changed my life.

"Come right back you here? Get what we need and leave, I don't want you around normal people too long, they'll know." I hated the way she talked, that bitch of a woman who owned the orphanage. I had long forgotten her name on purpose calling her M'am in public and bitch in my mind. It was a Sunday and all of the usual volunteers weren't there. Since M'am was a lazy little bitch, she refused to go out and buy groceries herself. I was the oldest kid in the orphanage so I got the brunt of the duties. It was like any other Sunday at first. The grocery store was packed to the brim with people, several giving me funny looks since I was alone. I ignored them and headed back to the electronics section. There was practically no one except a very familiar man working behind the desk.

"Alex! You got something for me?" I asked curiously. Alex smiled.

"Yeah, we don't sell it here, but it's Stark so you'll love it." I practically drooled as he reached behind his desk for the merchandise. Let's get this straight, Troy was a kid from the orphanage who had always felt sorry for me. When he got adopted we met in the grocery store and we had been decent friends ever since. We shared a love for technology, that was close enough for me. He was a good looking boy with dirty blond hair, long oval face, and dark brown eyes. He was tall and lean with a pair of rimless glasses that were sitting on his nose. His new father was a worker for Stark industries and sometimes got to take merchandise home, lucky me!

"Here it is babe." He slid a small brown package onto the desk. I ripped it apart and Alex chuckled. My abnormal blue eyes glimmered as they settled on the new piece of technology. It was a silver metal rim with bright glowing blue in the middle.

"You got me an arc reactor!" I whispered, closing the box so no one else would see. He shrugged.

"Stark wants a few of the engineers to know the parts so that they can at least fix it. This is one of the old ones, not perfect like the one Stark has but…" I grinned, making him shut his mouth.

"This is awesome! Do you have any idea what you just gave me? It's like handing a gold digger a huge diamond and asking her if she likes it. This is beautiful! I'll finally get to study the arc technology." I had almost died and gone to heaven. I peeked at it again, seeing the blue center dimming before my eyes. The copper wires were crude and even the framing looked archaic.

"This is…"

"Excuse me! You wouldn't happen to be Dr. Lions son would you?" I closed the box quickly and shot around making my bright crimson hair fly around my face. My bangs got loose from behind my ear and fell slightly in front of my face. The woman who had spoken was tall, lanky with smooth milky skin that had a reddish tint. She had high cheekbones, full lips, blue eyes, and sandy ginger hair. Her long sleeved white blouse was pressed to perfection as well as her tight knee length black skirt. I had a feeling that all those clothes were designer. Anyone who knew Tony Stark knew who this woman was.

"You're Pepper Potts." I whispered. The woman was smiling, it fit her face. She turned from Troy to me, blushing a little.

"I didn't think I was that famous. Yes I'm Pepper Potts, can I ask your name?" I gulped, this was almost as awesome as meeting the man himself.

"I-I'm Naiira, just a friend of Alex's." Great now I decide to stutter. I couldn't think of anything to say. This woman was my hero, she worked next to Tony Stark on a daily basis, got to see the real engineering in action.

"That's a surprisingly beautiful name. Are your parents friends with Alex's too?" It wasn't a rude question, she didn't know after all. I blushed slightly.

"Um…no I don't have parents." I whispered. Pepper looked embarrassed.

"Oh goodness I didn't mean to offend you. I heard you two talking over here and just thought…" She looked thoughtful for a moment. I finally got the guts to ask.

"What's he like?" Pepper's head shot up, looking at me confused.

"What?"

"Stark, what's he like?" It was a strange question really, making me sound like I had a crush on the older man. Troy chuckled behind me, making me feel a little embarrassed about the question.

"You have an interest in To…Mr. Stark?" She corrected herself. I blushed and shook my head.

"No! Well not that way anyway. I'm fascinated with his work on the Arc Reactor! I've read all of his books, I've even fixed some of his…" I shut my mouth, looking back at Alex. Pepper looked between us and raised an eyebrow. I had said too much.

"Well, um, I should go or M'am will wonder where I am." I muttered and scurried off to finish the groceries, keeping my new treasure close as I went back to the orphanage.

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Pepper set the groceries down in her apartment, thinking about what the boy had said about the strange orphan girl. He had told her that his father had been giving him scrap pieces that he in turn was giving to the girl. He even showed Pepper one of the pieces that the girl had made. It was an engineering masterpiece, a solar energy powered panel of lighting colors. According to the boy, she had made it when she was eleven years old. The girl reminded her of Tony, pure genius even if she was a good bit shy. That box the girl had taken must have had more parts in it. Pepper became curious as to what she would make with it.

From what Alex hadn't said, Pepper assumed the girl was an outcast. She had seemed so excited though at the prospect of knowing anything about Tony. Her heart went out to the girl, stuck in an orphanage that couldn't be more than a cramped home. Most of the city was like that, sweeping the unwanted children under the rug as if they didn't exist.

Pepper sighed and looked down at her watch. It was around 8pm now. Tony was probably in the lab. She picked up her cell phone and dialed Happy's number. All the time her mind was on that interesting orphan named Naiira.

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It may have been an archaic arc reactor, but it was beautiful. I tinkered with it using the tools I had stolen from the boiler room downstairs. Many of the wires were torn and a few pieces of metal were broken, but it was easy enough to fix using my power. The energy took tangible form, moving the wires and plates into place and melding them together. I knew most things about the arc reactor after studying separate parts given to me by Alex. This one would be a basis for my own. I charged it, the blue light coming to life showing a cracked cover which fixed itself with my help. I stared into the blue light, fascinated by this small yet powerful piece of technology.

"Thank you Tony Stark."

Over the next week I took apart many pieces of computers, dishwasher, blender, any type of electronics that had the pieces I needed. During the night I worked on the arc reactor, my own made of parts around the orphanage. I got beatings many times because they knew it was me taking things, but I kept the pieces, melding them together. It was harder to find some pieces among the appliances so I took apart my old inventions to make up for that. When the month came to an end I was still missing one piece. Luckily, it was Sunday and I knew Alex had my piece. I practically skipped into the store towards Alex's desk.

"I need the solar panel lights." I whispered to him. Alex lifted an eyebrow.

"You finished it?" He asked curiously. I shook my head but pulled out the almost finished product. It looked just as crude as the one I had received, but all it was missing was a cover for the now shining blue light in the center. Alex beamed.

"You really are a genius Nai, I hope somebody realizes it." He shook his head, reaching back under his desk and pulling out his book bag. He pulled out the lit up panels and I pulled one piece off of the panel. An iridescent piece of quartz I had been given by a couple who thought I was cute. I placed it onto the reactor and the blue light glowed now in different refractions and colors.

"Finished." I smiled and covered it up, sticking it in a black canvas draw string bag and handing it to Alex.

"What do you want me to do with this?" He asked curiously.

"You have to have your dad take it to Mr. Stark. Please Alex, I really want to know if I did it right." I pleaded. He looked surprised, but it seems it wasn't because of my request.

"How about I take you straight to him and you can ask him yourself." Pepper Potts had appeared again, her eyes on the black canvas bag that was shining slightly.

"I swear I didn't mean to steal it, I made him do it I…" Pepper held up her hand and smiled.

"It's okay Naiira, but I do want to see that. I'm sure Tony would also have interest in it." I fidgeted slightly.

"Well, the original is back at the orphanage." Pepper's eyes widened.

"You mean, you didn't fix the old one, but made a new one? All on your own?" She whispered. I nodded and handed her the black bag. She opened the drawstring and pulled out the small copper ring that shimmered different color.

"I pulled copper wires from the computer for the rim, I wanted it to look like the original." Pepper stared in awe at the little device. It looked almost exactly like the original she had framed for Tony so long ago. Yet this one was different somehow, many little quirks that Tony hadn't used were around it.

"Did you really mean it?" I asked, breaking the silence, hoping to dream.

"If you mean bringing you to Mr. Stark then yes I meant it." My eyes lit up like the fourth of July. If I didn't know my manners I would have tackled Pepper to the ground.

"I think you just made her day Miss Potts." Alex muttered, a big grin breaking over his face. I fidgeted again.

"Can I um…hug you?" I asked curiously. Pepper smiled and nodded. I moved forward and walked into her arms. It was the first hug I had in a long time and it felt good to have another person's arms around me. She smelled like apples, a happy scent that reminded me of orchards I had gone to on field trips as a kid. If only she knew at that moment that she saved my life.

Pepper walked me home and promised to come get me tomorrow morning. I was so excited that I was going to meet the Tony Stark! Perhaps this freak was going places!

"And perhaps you're delusional." I stopped midstep, where in the world had that voice come from? It wasn't from anywhere around me, was that in my head?

"It's called telepathy, speaking to others through mind waves. I'm afraid your thoughts were so loud I contacted you to hush." I blushed, trying to gather my thoughts.

"You really are rather frustrating woman. Would you please stop keeping your mind so open?" I tried to block my thoughts, but it didn't work.

"I don't know how." Even in my head it sounded weak. There was silence for a few moments. I made my way back to my room before the voice spoke again.

"Listen, just imagine a wall, a tall one to block me out." I sat down and closed my eyes, trying to imagine a large brick wall. Silence and then the voice once more.

"Well you blocked most of it. You aren't very good at speaking through mind are you?" It was definitely a male voice, deep and distinct. It was a smooth and handsome voice almost like a suave tone.

"I don't have anyone to practice with. I'm alone." My voice still sounded quiet unlike the easily distinct voice in my head. Before the voice could answer me the door to my room slammed open.

"You little bitch! What is this?!" It was the bitch and in her hand of the original arc reactor. I had given the other to Pepper for safe keeping. The first had been hidden in a small opening in the back of a brick in the backyard attached to the house.

"None of your business." I hissed. The bitch walked in and slammed the reactor onto the ground. It didn't break, but when she stomped on it, a few things cracked and unspun.

"You freak! I knew as soon as I found you I should have left you on the street! Stealing from Stark Enterprises is unforgivable!" The bitch walked forward and smacked my left cheek with the back of her hand. I got knocked back into the wall as the bitch moved towards me again.

"Freak! Disgusting Freak!" She beat me about the arms and legs, whipping my torso with what felt like a piece of leather. It must have been her belt. My skin stung with the contact. My mind was blocked, I couldn't concentrate on anything. I screamed out a few times, little yelps when the leather met my skin. Welts of blood began to appear where she struck. I tried to guard my face from the blows but she managed to get my chin and forehead a few times. I was going to die here, she would beat me to death. After meeting Pepper Potts and learning that I would meet Tony Stark I was going to die. Of course life hated me, why would I be allowed to live?

My body heated up, the blood running onto my face suddenly glowing silver. The beating stopped as I glowed bright blue. The bitch ran out of the room, closing the door and locking it behind her. She wouldn't be back, but that meant I was dead anyway. The glow disappeared as I felt my body give in. I had lost too much blood. I reached out to the first reactor, the one piece of my life that had meant something and pulled the broken device to my chest. The blue power was faltering and as I closed my eyes the power winked out.

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Loki was horribly confused. True he lied to whoever this girl was, but she had seemed so inexperienced. To be perfectly honest, Loki was feeling extra lonely. Compared to the other Asgardians, his powers were quite odd. His brother Thor had control of the Mjolnir, Sif and the warriors three were amazing in battle, and Loki had magic.

Unable to stand the thought that he was the only like mind in the universe, he had reached out with his consciousness, hoping to find someone who could speak his language. He didn't know what world she came from or exactly what her full powers were. All he knew is that her mind had almost snapped towards his wavelength, like a magnetic pull. Her thoughts were so loud too. She was thinking about something called an arc reactor and someone named Tony Stark. Just his luck that a like minded person was younger.

Yet he saw potential in her abilities from the moment she was able to erect a wall. It had blocked most of her thoughts, but then he got knocked back. Something amazingly powerful was blocking her from contact. An entire energy barrier was refusing to allow him to speak with her at all. The thought in itself was intriguing. He laid out on his bed and once again began to study the worlds beyond his own. Perhaps if he could find her, he could find out what made his new friend able to block out his advance. If anything, the study might bring him some sort of ally. Though what he still refused to voice was that all he wanted was a friend.


	2. Chapter 2

When Pepper came the next day to get Naiira, the lady who ran the orphanage claimed to have never heard of her. Lucky for her, Tony had agreed to come along after seeing the reactor the girl had made out of little less than kitchen appliances. The woman gushed and cooed as Tony pulled up in one of his expense sports cars. When he also asked to see Naiira, the ladies face fell.

"You don't want to see her sir, she is a little thief! I even found one of your inventions she was hiding out back." Tony didn't miss a beat.

"Yea, I asked Pepper to give it to her. She's the friend of someone I know." It was amazing how civil Tony could be in public. The lady looked nervous as she led them up the stairs. She pulled out a set of keys and opened up a door somewhere in the back.

"Do you keep all your kids back here?" Pepper asked curiously as the door opened. What lay behind made Pepper run in and look the young girl over. There was blood everywhere, fresh from the smell of it. Yet as she inspected Naiira she could find no visible injuries. The lady didn't look horribly surprised at any of the scene.

"Tony we can't leave her here." Pepper pleaded with the billionaire, lifting the girl into her own arms.

"How do we go about this…adopting thing?" So that was it. Tony signed off on a few papers and he officially had a daughter. Pepper laid the girl in the back of the limo so that her head was in the older woman's lap. She ran her hands through the girls long crimson hair, observing the new addition to the family.

Naiira was a beauty, that was about the extent of it. Her abnormally silky bright crimson hair waved down her back and shone gold in the light. The unblemished pale skin was smooth to the touch and almost milky in tone. She wore a black half sleeve shirt with the symbol for what Pepper assumed was a band. It was a bunch of celtic knots. The shirt didn't reach down her stomach all the way so her slim midriff peaked from the fabric. A pair of rather ratty low cut jeans rested on the girls hips along with a pair of shoes that looked like they had been worn forever.

"So this is the girl huh? You really know how to win me Pepper, who knew I'd ever have a kid." Stark sniggered as he looked down the girl with interest. Pepper slid some of the crimson hair behind the girl's delicate ear. Her ears were pierced, studs in the lobe and three more piercings in the cartilage just above her right ear.

"A rebel, seems like me." Tony helped himself to a drink as Pepper watched the girl sleep.

"I think we should get her to a hospital, you know, just in case." She suggested watching warily at the girls rising and falling breaths as if afraid they could stop any moment.

"At least we agree on that." Tony tapped on the window to the driver's seat.

"Yes sir?" Jarvis's voice came over the intercom.

"Jarvis, take us to my private clinic, we have a young girl who may need some assistance."

"Very well sir."

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When I woke up the light in my eyes was practically unbearable. As I blinked away the sleep I found myself staring up at a rather white ceiling. I couldn't still be in the orphanage. I shot up, suddenly realizing I was on a soft mattress. Where the hell was I?

"Good miss you are awake." I jumped about fifty feet in the air and fell off the bed, sliding underneath the dark wooden frame.

"What the fuck?!" I yelled.

"There's no need for alarm Miss Naiira, my name is Jarvis." I slid out from under the bed and took in my surroundings. It was a massive room with white drapings, tapestries, carpet, sheets, and even ceiling. A large circular light shone blue above the carpet lighting the corners of the room. There was a desk and a large wardrobe of the same dark wood as the bed frame. The rest of the floor was empty of things. There was a large double door to the left of the wardrobe and on the opposite wall, a smaller one.

"Jarvis? As in Stark's personal Jarvis?" I asked curiously.

"That is correct Miss Naiira. If you are well enough Mr. Stark wishes to see you as soon as possible." I flushed, my blood pounding in my veins. I looked down at myself, noticing the ragged clothes and slight blood stains.

"Do you think I could get a shower and some clothes?" I asked. The wardrobe opened to reveal a few different outfits including shoes. The small door in the corner also opened, steam already building up from the hot water.

"Anything else miss?" I smiled.

"Just wash my clothes okay?"

I stripped myself of my now blood stained clothes.

"Where can I put them?" I asked the mechanical AI.

"Just in the basket Miss." I took the clothes into the bathroom where a metal basket sat next to the white marble toilet. I dropped the clothes inside before stepping into the stream of hot water. I felt completely relaxed here, my muscles giving in to the warmth of the water. I thought back to the night before, but not of the beating, of the voice in my head. It had been smooth, cunning, almost snakelike in origin. I found myself thinking of the snake that tempted Eve to eat from the fruit tree that God forbid her to touch.

"I am not a snake." I practically jumped out of my skin.

"You really should keep your mind on your own business." The voice was stronger now.

"So hostile yet so curious. What a fascinating creature you are." Oh yes this guy was a snake and I made sure he knew it too.

"Now now, it's not every day you find person who speaks your language eh?" I know what he meant either way. I almost wished he was wrong.

"What do you want anyway?" I asked, reaching for some shampoo. There was silence for a little while before the voice came once more.

"You are bathing aren't you?" I dropped the shampoo bottle. The voice had been slightly erratic, shaky even.

"If you can see I'd appreciate privacy, especially since you sound old enough to be a pervert and I'm only sixteen." There was a coughing even through her head.

"I can only see what you wish me to see." I picked up the shampoo bottle, curious of what the limits were. So I tried to send an image of the bottle in my hand. I tried to concentrate on it, not sure of how to send an image when it wasn't through a computer. There were a few moments of quiet before the snake spoke again.

"Fascinating, so clear like you'd been doing it for years. Is it raining there?" I went ahead and lathered the shampoo in my hair. The voice sounded almost curious like a child's.

"Raining? No I'm taking a shower…do you know what that is?"

"No." It was quick.

"Enlighten me." Just a few extra seconds and I had found a good answer.

"It's water that sprinkles overhead like rain, but you can change the temperature and turn it on and off. Have you been living under a rock?" A scoff and another rather quick answer.

"I do not live beneath a rock woman. I live in a rather comfortable palace." My confusion continued. Jarvis interrupted my thoughts.

"Excuse me miss, there is now a formal request for you to join Mr. Stark in the penthouse." The voice was no longer in my head.

Instead of worrying about the voice right now, I needed to worry about where I was and what was happening. So I placed it in the back of my mind and went to the wardrobe. I put on a pair of black lace underwear and matching bra that was essentially my size. The panties rode up a bit and the bra was a C cup, one size too small but alright. I picked out a pair of light blue jeans and a slightly large plain red shirt.

"Pardon me Miss Naiira, but Miss Potts requests entrance to your room." I made a noise of assent through my nose and waited. Pepper entered, her heels tapping against the floor as she walked forward.

"Oh wonderful! I'm glad to see you awake Naiira, we were so worried." Pepper smiled happily as she approached me. She was wearing a light purple dress today and pearls which showed off her pearly skin.

"Yes, thank you for coming to get me." I remembered the night before and how I had practically been beaten to a pulp. It had happened before and it seemed they wounds had all healed as before.

"Don't worry, we had a doctor check you over and there was nothing wrong." I wondered what she would think of me if she knew what I was? I was sure she'd be the same, think I was a freak and cast me out. I nodded and Pepper motioned for me to enter the elevator. Once inside the door closed behind us. I felt the machine rising upward towards the top floor. The glass on the other side showed the world at new heights. I gulped and closed my eyes. I never really was fond of heights. It was really the fear of falling that got to me. I hated anticipating the fall because normal humans can't fly. The elevator stopped on the top floor. A short ding sounded and the elevator opened.

I was staring into the most lavish looking room I'd ever stepped foot in. The carpet was a red plush matching the modern dipped chairs and white furniture. A bar sat in the corner, full of alcohol of all kinds. Even a large veranda overlooking the world below was shrouded by windows and white frames. But it was at the bar that I saw the one man I always wished to meet.

"So I heard you're the girl who made this little thing?" There he was, Tony Stark in all his glory. His dark blue eyes were staring right at me. The dark brown hair covering his head and face was exactly like it had been in all the magazines. He even looked more muscular in person with his dark blue short sleeve shirt and light tan khakis. He was holding up my arc reactor in his hand, his own glowing beneath his shirt, the one thing that kept his heart beating.

"Um…yes." I couldn't think of anything else to say. What was I supposed to say? My god I've idealized you for my whole childhood? Stark set the device down on the bar and poured himself a glass of what looked like scotch. He turned back to me, one hand in his pocket, still showing the solid silver rolex on his wrist.

"I know it must be a bit, intimidating to be near me? Trust me I get it with Pepper all the time. Seems even the younger generation gets antsy." Pepper cleared her throat in frustration. I raised an eyebrow looking from her to him. Stark cleared his own throat and put the scotch glass back down on the bar table.

"Well, I guess I should make you aware of the fact that I'm taking you on an apprentice." What was he talking about?

"Excuse me?" I asked, not really trying to offend. Pepper sighed and Tony chuckled.

"I'm taking you on as an apprentice. And if you really want I can at least take care of you until you find a place…" My heart stopped.

"What?" Pepper came up next to me and placed a hand on my shoulder.

"I saw the way that woman treated you and I asked Tony to adopt you." She smiled and handed me the papers to prove it. Tony shrugged.

"If anything else I get somebody who knows what they are doing in my lab, you know laze around when Pepper wants to go out." Tony waggled his eyebrows. I forgot manners and tackled the taller man into a hug, dropping the papers in the process. I could hear the steady beating of his heart, feel the warmth from the arc reactor keeping him alive and of course the warmth of his living skin.

"Thank you." I whispered, keeping my arms tight around his waist. He didn't really react for a while until finally wrapping his arms loosely around my torso. I was crying, the tears soaking Tony's shirt but I didn't care. I had gotten to meet Tony Stark and best of all I had a place I could finally belong…at least for now.


	3. Chapter 3

_Okay so if anyone knows how to make breaks in lines, you know like a line or something to indicate a timeline change I would like to know how since no matter what I do it seems to not work. Until then I hope you guys can find the time skips and POV changes. Sorry about that guys. At the end of this chapter she is 19 years old just saying._

"How do you find life lately? What's it like being the daughter of Tony Stark?" These and other constant questions were yelled at me by paparazzi when the world found out Stark had taken a girl into his home, one so young at that. I kept my distance and the rumors eventually ended. During the first week of my stay I was shown into Tony's private lab, even given the key for it. I had already taken on the project of helping him create a better more "fashionable" reactor to keep his heart beating. During that week I had tried to find the courage to tell him what I could do, but I kept wimping out.

So, I told Pepper instead. I know that seems weird, but she understood and actually condoned my gift calling it beautiful the few times she saw it. I was happier than you can imagine and it helped me to finally tell Tony. He reacted way too much when he found out. He started letting me work on the Ironman suit, the suit he wore in battle against enemies of the people. That's right, along with Pepper I was practically a superheroes sidekick.

"So you seem happy, but your mind is still quite loud." It was the voice! The one from the night I had been beaten.

"I think you just can't stop talking to me. Somehow I imagine you don't have many to practice with either." A snigger from the voice.

"You have a point, there are none here that have the capabilities." His speech was still quite formal, I wondered if that was just the way he spoke.

"So I have a last name now. My full name is Naiira Freya Stark. My father picked the middle name when I told him I like norse mythology. Figured since we talk so much you'd at least like my name." I was smiling at this point, the grin on my face stretching wide.

"You really don't know who you speak to do you Midgardian?" I knew that word, Midgard was one of the realms of Yggdrasil, the tree of life.

"You speak of Midgard, home of humans, the middle realm of Yggdrasil, the great tree. You aren't from around here are you?" I could somehow feel the man smile across our connection.

"I knew you had more intellect than a normal Midgardian just like the power you wield is extraordinary." I thought for a minute, but I didn't recall the man telling me his name.

"I've met a guy who fights in an iron suit and I can talk to people through minds as well as heal myself, emit blue energy, and have the control of more energy than is probably made on earth. I guess you could say nothing surprises me anymore." I laid back on my bed, watching the ceiling.

"Perhaps I have still underestimated you. Since you have given your title I shall give you mine. My name is Loki Odinson of Asgard and I am what you humans would consider a god." Really? All of this awesome stuff was really just hitting me in the face lately.

"God of mischief and lies, I imagine the mythology is off though. There was never mention of you being able to use telepathy although I do remember something about you being incredibly handsome." I couldn't believe my boldness. In a way I believed and in another I thought this was a total hoax. Yet how could he speak to me through my mind?

"I can hear your thoughts you know mortal and I don't appreciate your sarcasm." He hissed. I had forgotten he was in my mind.

"Can you prove it then?" My body suddenly felt numb as if I had fallen asleep and I found myself in darkness.

"Proof enough for you foolish girl?" I couldn't see anything.

"Are there any lights in here?" The darkness flickered slightly until the scene of a forest appeared, a waterfall falling before me. I could feel the water spray on my face, hear the birds singing in the trees.

"You have to be kidding me!" I practically jumped out of my skin when someone tapped my shoulder. The person chuckled and I turned to face them. He was beautiful really. His midnight black slicked hair reached just below his ears, the pale skin contrasting with the dark color. He wore some sort of leather armor with mixtures of green, gold, and black. A pair of black boots were on his feet and the rest of the armor was covered by a long trench coat complete with collar and frayed ends that swung around him with the wind. Yet the most beautiful thing about him were those eyes, the bright liquid emeralds that shone above his high cheekbones. Before my eyes a golden helmet materialized on his head with horns that protruded and bent back. In his hand was a golden scepter with a blade at the end. It was as tall as him so a few inches taller than me. His lean body moved with such grace as he walked towards me, his smile showing off those pearly white teeth. There was no way a human could be this gorgeous.

"Do you believe now?" I nodded carefully, my jaw dropping slightly but I tried really hard not to drool. When I finally closed my mouth a blush dusted my cheeks.

"So uh…why did you contact me again?" I couldn't look at him, it was like staring into the sun, beautiful and forbidden. He lifted up my chin and our eyes met. My legs practically went limp.

"You interest me of course. Any realm that holds a woman of powers like yours is in my notice." He sounded even better right close to me. Then I remembered something else I had read about the Loki of mythology.

"How do I know you aren't using silver tongue?" I asked. For a moment he looked surprised and then laughed out loud.

"You truly are a fascinating woman Naiira." When my name rolled off his tongue I found myself loving the sound. It sounded so perfect in his voice.

"Well thank you then. How did you do this by the way?" I asked, motioning to the scene around us. Loki smirked and the scene changed to a balcony of alabaster looking out a full moon over what looked like ancient Egypt.

"I have had practice and with that comes the knowledge to create worlds of my own from images in my mind. If you practiced, you could do it too. This is also how I was able to pull you into my mind, a connection and a little magic." The spear and helmet disappeared, leaving him in all his perfect glory. Without really thinking I pressed my hand against his chest. He flinched slightly but didn't move away. I could feel the leather against my palm, feel his hand on my face. He looked at least 20, just one year ahead of me. I hoped he wasn't that much older, god or otherwise.

"This is amazing! You don't think you could teach me could you?" I asked, suddenly finding that he had a long green cape on his coat as well. The fabric felt almost like velvet.

"I suppose, but I have a request in return." I frowned, of course he would have said that.

"Well?" He smirked and pulled the cape from my fingers.

"You swear to keep me and everything you have learned from me a secret from all others." It didn't seem too hard, but I didn't really know whether I could trust him.

"If I can have assurance of your deal and you add in answering questions about Asgard I'm in." Loki smiled, pulling out a knife and pressing it quickly to my bottom lip. I flinched slightly at the sting, but it barely hurt. He placed the knife on his own lip and I watched the blood fall, almost unaware of my own blood dripping down my chin. Loki pulled my face to his as our lips met. I tasted the iron of blood and somehow I knew it wasn't mine. He sucked on my bottom lip and allowed me to do the same. Electric pulses shot up my spine. I was in freaking heaven! I barely knew him and yet I had few qualms with giving him the gift of my first kiss. As soon as it had started, it ended though. He broke the contact, his bloody lip still looking amazingly tantalizing from my point of view. I was still dazed, but god did I want him to do that again.

"Deal."

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"So what's it like? Asgard I mean." I asked Loki after about two days of training my mind with him. He sighed.

"It isn't as amazing as you think it is." His tone was melancholy as he said it.

"It has to be at least a little amazing, you live there." He grinned.

"You are a charmer Naiira, perhaps I should call you silver tongue from now on." I giggled. We were in water scene today, tropical and our feet were dipped into the cool water.

"Well, tell me what it's like then. All I've really heard from you is how best to put up a barrier." I laid back against the ground. My feet suddenly felt dry, he had changed the scene. We were laying on what looked to be a beautiful rainbow colored crystal. Looking to my left I found it ended in a bright gold dome that looked similar to an observatory with a large pointed top.

"That is the bifrost gate, it is the only way to travel through realms and only asgardians have access to it. It's guarded by Heimdall, the gatekeeper." Loki explained, I nodded, staring down at the beautiful crystal below me.

"So this is part of it too right?" I asked, pointing at the crystal. Loki nodded. Below the bridge was a roaring sea that flowed over the edge of the realm.

"Your world has an edge." I smiled, thinking back to the theory that the world was flat. Loki nodded again.

"Yes, that is the sea of Asgard which flows into the stars. Our realm is held up by clouds beneath our sea." I had never imagined such an interesting concept, it had not even been brought up in mythology. The scene shifted and I practically gasped in awe. The expanse of crystal reached towards a large mountain which held many glittering gold and silver buildings. The archways and doors leading to the island were also golden with ornate carvings of battles on the surface. The light of the stars and the beautiful colors of the sky lit up the world I stared upon.

"This is Asgard, my home." He whispered. It was such a small world compared to my own but it was glorious, more beautiful than the imagined paradises of humans. Parts of buildings moved alone with light holding them together.

"Is that magic?" I asked curiously, pointing at the floating pieces. Loki smiled and laughed.

"Yes, in a way. I think it's a mixture of magic and that stuff you humans call technology." I wrung my hands, watching the pieces around in the distance.

"I'd love to take something that big apart." My eyes sparkled in wonder as I watched the world until it suddenly faded from view back into the tropical lake. I looked down at Loki, questioning him with my glance, but he looked so forlorn.

"To tell you the truth Asgard is perfect but I've never felt like it was my home, not for a long time now." He whispered. I moved closer to him and nudged his shoulder.

"Well if Asgard isn't what you want, I can share my world." I smiled, listening to Loki breathe. Even after such a short time we had gotten close. It could have been the strange kiss we had shared sometime before or maybe it was because we were similar in ways we didn't understand. I placed my hand over his.

"At every turn you surprise me. How can you be so sure I would fit in in your world?" He asked. I smiled.

"Because you already do fit into my world." It was cheesy, but it still fit.

"Do you want to know what the kiss was for, why we exchanged blood?" He brought up randomly. I had been rather curious about it before, but didn't ask out of respect. He continued even though I didn't answer.

"It keeps me from using silver tongue on you among other things. The kiss made an irreversible spell that bonds you to me. My blood is in you as your blood is within me. Hope that doesn't weird you out too much." He huffed the last part. I shook my head.

"It's kind of cool really, I'm bonded with a god. I gotta say that's probably the awesomest thing ever." I giggled and leaned back onto the grass. Loki followed suit. The sky above us was alight with colors, stars, and planets as they flew over our heads.

"You really are strange." He chuckled. I smiled.

"Yes, but in that way we will always be the same."


	4. Chapter 4

"You need to concentrate harder or there won't be anything." I frowned.

"Isn't it obvious that I'm trying? I'm not a god." I huffed. Loki chuckled and I heard him move until his chest plate came in contact with my back. My eyes shot open and I tried to turn, but Loki held me still. His arms moved to where they positioned my hands, palm flat forward towards the tree in front of me. The heat of his body made a chill run up my spine. His breath was in my ear, tickling the shell.

"Just hold this and press, through here." He tapped my forehead. When he withdrew my body tingled slightly from the contact. I stared at my palms, trying to concentrate on creating a barrier. A bright blue spark expanded from my hands, but petered out before I could expand it. Loki smirked.

"Your thoughts are amusing, but perhaps worth a try." He pressed himself to my back once again and held my wrists. It was distracting, but the spark returned when I concentrated on the heat of Loki's body. I was feeling his heartbeat against my back. I wondered whether he felt my own heart fluttering in my chest. The barrier was flickering, but still solid in my palms as Loki kept his body pressed against me.

"It seems your magic reacts to my own. That is quite interesting." He pulled away and the barrier disappeared. I felt like jelly, but tried to think of anything else.

"You can't lie to the god of lies my dear." I jumped, Loki's sudden closeness made me fall back on my ass.

"Would you stop doing that?" He raised an eyebrow, a smirk tugging at his lips.

"Doing what?"

"Reading my mind without permission." He looked thoughtful for a moment.

"No." I frowned.

"Why not?"

"You are a mortal, a natural born liar. How might I trust you if I stop reading your thoughts?" I shook my head.

"It's called trust. If I lie to you then you have a right to read my mind, but I haven't yet so why not?" His emerald gaze was set on my face.

"I suppose you are right. We shall do it your way then. However, if I catch you in even one lie I can read your thoughts with no consequence." I nodded.

"Done, now what was that about your magic reacting with mine?" Loki placed his palm against mine. The strange tingling returned.

"You feel it do you not? That is the flow of magic between us. The reaction is uncommon to say the least. It means our magic is on the same frequency while most born with the power have their own made frequency." I nodded and moved my hand away. The tingling still remained.

"So what happens if our magic is on the same frequency?"

"We can to an extent feel each other's energy. Any amount of power depending on how used to it will be easy to feel. I can feel yours like a hot sun." I held my hands out and started to feel the tingling as I pointed them at Loki.

"Yours feels like cold lightning I guess. That's the best way to describe it." The chill that ran through me felt good, but hopefully he would keep his promise and not read that thought. I liked being close to him.

"Allow me to try something if I may." He held out his hand again for me to take. I reached out and grasped his hand carefully. He laced the fingers. The closer the touch, the stronger the tingling chill that ran up my arm. Loki squeezed my hand and a cold pulse ran through my body. It was stronger than before. I shivered slightly at the strange new contact.

"Fascinating, your energy reacts to my pulse. Perhaps this is a much more interesting wager than I anticipated." The second sentence was more for himself than for me.

"Come now, we must test the limits of this new connection." Once again I felt Loki press himself against me. This time I was face to face with him. This was going to be torture…sweet sweet torture.

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It was a Sunday and like all those times at the home I decided to go see Alex. I had finally gotten used to some of the bond I shared with Loki. When I paid attention it felt like I was constantly sharing my mind with someone. Sometimes I'd have thoughts that weren't my own or I'd act a little more mischievous than usual. Tony didn't seem to notice as much, in fact he embraced the change saying he was rubbing off on me. As for the constant contact with him during mind imaging, I was going crazy. I had a crush or infatuation with the dark haired god. Thank god he promised to stop reading my thoughts…at least to my knowledge. His body pressed against mine stole my reason. If he asked me anything at this point I'd get on my knees and beg him for the privilege. It was upsetting, but the feeling I got made it all worth it.

Either way it was an interesting notion, never being alone. I walked down the street and people's heads turned, whispering to one another. Once I had been ignored and now barely anyone missed my presence. When I entered the supermarket there were a few people who looked hopelessly excited as I moved past them. Alex was back in electronics again, alone.

"Yo Miss Stark how are things?" He chuckled as I approached his desk. I beamed.

"Perfect of course. I imagine your dad got that nice raise yeah?" Alex shook his head, smiling.

"It feels weird getting favors from you now Naia."

"Well, I have to pay you back somehow right?" Something in my head flared up, the emotion of anger and petty jealously. I tried to suppress it so as not to alarm Alex. I had noticed when I talked to men other than my father the anger was usually present. Sometimes it would literally make me start yelling at whoever I was talking to. I whispered my affiliation with the boy in my head and the anger subsided some.

"You okay Naia? You seem distracted." Alex asked with worry. He pressed his hand to my forehead and the anger flared again.

"No, I'm alright really." I squeaked and placed Alex's hand on the counter. He raised an eyebrow.

"If you say so. Hey why don't we go out sometime this week? My friends would love to meet the infamous Naiira Stark." More anger, it was starting to make my body heat up slightly which I was sure showed on my face.

"Sure Alex, that sounds great! I need more friends anyway." I slammed my arm down on the table so the tingling would distract my body from the rising anger. He raised his eyebrow higher and stared at the now twanging appendage.

"Are you sure you're okay Naia? You're really red in the face." I smiled as best as I could.

"I'm fine really." I suppressed some of the feelings with a small barrier. At least my face lightened a bit.

"Well, how about tomorrow then? I know a great club we could all go to." I smiled and nodded.

"Sounds great Alex, I should be getting back before Tony needs me." I waved goodbye and ducked into a bathroom on the other side of the store, letting my mind wander until another consciousness picked it up. I found myself in a rather dark place surrounded by shooting stars.

"You really should control yourself Loki, I almost yelled at him!" I scolded. The said god walked into view, his expression passive.

"Perhaps I would if your mind stopped wandering so much. I'm not fond of undressing men when I look at them." I blushed a million shades of red.

"I was NOT undressing him and didn't we agree on you not reading my mind?" I crossed my arms over my chest, but he just smirked.

"Tell that to your subconscious princess." He walked forward and flicked my forehead.

"Oh please, I can't help it if I find Alex attractive. I can't tell I'm undressing him so I'm sorry I guess and no more cheating." I meant with the reading mind thing. Loki appeared before me, pressing against me. This was normal at this point. He was in contact with me almost constantly after finding the link in our magic. I guess he liked the feeling as much as I did.

"You do it with any male you find the least bit handsome. Perhaps you should stop thinking about them so much and I might be able to control myself." I raised an eyebrow.

"You wouldn't be jealous now would you Loki? I realize we are bonded but that doesn't mean I belong to you." The scene around me seemed to spin.

"I beg to differ princess. Where I come from this bond means you are mine." Yes Loki was very possessive. I knew this pretty well, but I never really knew the extent.

"I can have friends here on earth Loki, there isn't only you." I hissed. Loki seethed.

"I'd be careful Naiira, I tend to get very possessive when it's something or someone I want." I blushed, unsure if he knew exactly what he was implying.

"Noted, now I have to go back. Same time tonight yes?" Loki huffed and nodded before my consciousness returned to my body. I left the supermarket with a rather heavy heart and a still seething Loki in my head.

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"Yo Tony I was wondering…" I walked in on my father replacing the core for his reactor.

"You know kid, I don't think I ever thanked you for not calling me dad. It would make me feel so disgustingly old." He turned the reactor back into his chest. I nodded.

"We don't want you feeling like an old fart now do we?" He chuckled. Besides the fact that he was a real ass sometimes, this guy was practically my best friend. The only thing we didn't agree on was music.

"So, what can I do you for? I imagine this isn't a useless visit? I mean you usually want something." I shook my head.

"Just need permission to exit the premises tonight. Alex Lions invited me out with a few friends to go clubbing." I muttered. He pretended to think about it.

"I don't know, that kid is pretty crazy about you. It might be a bad idea for your virginity." I knew it was a joke, but apparently Loki didn't.

"TONY!" I screamed, unable to hold back the rage that was boiling over from Loki's mind to mine. Tony looked a little worried.

"Calm down kid I was just joking. You okay?" I nodded and told Loki he'd pay for that later.

"Well then I'll be going!"

"Get into tons of mischief for me!" Tony yelled back. I walked down the hall and back into my room.

"Makeup and hair stuff Jarvis oh and that lovely little copper dress Pepper helped me find." The wardrobe turned and showed off a short little metallic copper dress. The neckline plunged to just below my navel with waves of fabric between the breasts. From experience I knew the dress reached just below my butt. I pulled it on and did some copper based makeup with black eyeliner. I put my hair up in a quick spiky updo and placed on a pair of flat copper gladiator sandals before leaving. To get this straight, I hated heels and would do anything to avoid them. I kept my phone and wallet in a little copper clutch with long string to go over my head. Troy was supposed to meet me right outside the building.

When I exited the penthouse I found Alex and three other people waiting on the curb. Two of them were boys, both with bright green eyes. The first had dark hair almost like Loki's. I felt a smirk from that thought. His hair was spiked, but it looked good that way and he wore dark jeans and black tank top. The second boy had light brown hair that reached just above his ears and a goatee. He was wearing khaki capris and a bright green t shirt. The only girl that was with them had light brown hair that waved down to her shoulders and dark brown eyes. She was wearing some bright red lipstick and a bright red dress to match. It dipped in the back and reached down to her knees with a slit up one side. I noticed with slight relief that she wore a pair of black and red flats.

"Naia!" Alex caught sight of me. He was wearing a light pair of denim jeans and a dark long sleeved button up top.

"You are going to die of heatstroke in this." I pulled on his sleeve and shook my head. When I looked up at him his face was flushed.

"You…look beautiful." He muttered. I blocked out Loki quite easily this time. I didn't know how, but the wall thing worked wonders when I tried.

"Thanks Alex. Who are your friends?" I asked curiously. He cleared his throat and pointed at the brunette male.

"That's Leo." Leo grinned and practically melted when I smiled in his direction.

"This is my buddy Victor." He patted the increasingly attractive dark haired boy on the shoulder. He took my hand and kissed the knuckles.

"It's a pleasure." I giggled and turned to the girl.

"This is my cousin Russy, well her real name is Nicole Ross." The girl smiled, shaking hands with me.

"Glad to meet another girl with enough sense to stay away from heels." She smiled back.

"Seriously." Alex offered his arm to me.

"Shall we then?" He asked curiously. Leo took Nicole's arm, but she didn't seem that attached to him. I took Alex's arm and allowed Victor to take my other.

"Already a Stark huh?" Alex snickered.

"Of course, no Stark has only one date." I smiled and winked at Alex before we started walking down the street. The club was just around the corner. A large building with the bright shining title "Revelation" written in neon was before us. There was already a huge line forming out front. Alex frowned.

"Maybe we should have gotten here early." I shook my head.

"Come on I have this." I walked up to the huge black bouncer that had a t-shirt with the club symbol on it, the word with an upside down cross beneath it, standing in front of the club. He raised an eyebrow at me.

"Name's Stark, Naiira Stark. You mind letting us in?" His eyes widened slightly before pulling up the rope and allowing us all in.

"It pays to have connections sometimes." I smiled as we entered the den of music. There were black leather couches placed around the place and small tables with candles. The dance floor was black with different colored lights pouring and flashing on all the people dancing. A few bright silver cages hung from the ceilings with colorful dancers in each one. The place was packed with people in all amounts of fancy dress from suits to ripped up t shirts.

"This is awesome!" Alex yelled over the music. The current song was a wordless techno that made the lights on the floor flash violently.

"Come on let's dance!" I pulled Alex onto the dance floor and the others followed suit. We started dancing in between a few people who looked like they had been dancing for a while. You could literally smell the sweat off of people as the beat pumped around us. At first it was all of us together, but Leo found a sexy little blond to dance with which left Russy with Alex and me with Victor. Somehow the loud music mixed with the lights shut down all of my powers. My mind literally shut off as I danced, the music seemed to pump through my veins as I danced with Victor.

"You really are quite beautiful Naiira." He whispered. Suddenly the flashing made him look different. His body became Lokis, his hair looking slicked and those eyes becoming liquid emerald. I shook my head and he went back to looking like himself. Why was I thinking of Loki? It was quite obvious really, I had always been attracted to the dark haired god even if he was only in my head. He was gorgeous, the perfect being and it made sense that Victor suddenly took his form. This time when the lights flashed I let the visions stay. I came closer to him, suddenly very intent on feeling his skin against mine as the song changed. The heat rising from his body seared against mine as we moved together. It was selfish to imagine him as someone I could never have, but it was something.

His arms wrapped around my body, moving me with him as the song continued. My mind was getting hazy as I stared into those emerald eyes.

"Loki…" I whispered so that Victor wouldn't hear me. Yet somehow I knew that the owner had felt my lips form his name. A beautiful shiver ran down my spine as Victor rubbed his hands on my sides. He was Loki now, my Loki, the one I could never have. He bent his head down and crashed his lips onto mine. No matter how much I wished, I knew it wouldn't be the same. The one time I had kissed Loki it was better than this by so much. Victor seemed so sloppy compared to the god that I felt ruined. I pulled back, my breaths coming short as I looked up into the boy's confused face.

"I'm sorry." I moved out of his arms and the world seemed to crash down on me. The music was still blaring in my ears as I walked off the dance floor.

"Naia!" Someone screamed over the music. I ignored them, walking out of the club and away from the mind numbing atmosphere. A hand clasped my wrist and I turned to find Alex with a worried look on his face.

"You okay? I called your name at least a dozen times." His voice was hazy.

"I'm fine, I just needed some air is all." Somehow I knew my speech was slurred.

"Naia, you don't sound fine." He whispered. A white hot pain suddenly burst through my head and I clutched it as hard as I could, falling to my knees. Alex caught me, yelling something but my vision was already fading. My head still burst with pain of whose origin I was unsure. Then another yelling coming from inside my head before the world went black.


	5. Chapter 5

"I swear if you don't open your eyes I'll literally come to Midgard and kill you myself!" I tried to move, I really did but nothing happened. There was a cold hand that ran over my cheek and the usual tingle shot up my spine. My eyes shot wide open. I was in a world of stars, the most beautiful man leaning over me.

"L-Loki?" I croaked. There wasn't any pain in my head, but somehow I had anticipated that.

"You shouldn't do that. I thought you were being blocked from me. Your consciousness was in a blue orb and I couldn't get to you." His voice sounded a little frantic. I shook my head and tried to sit up but Loki pushed me back down.

"I hurt you, breaking that orb." It was a statement of fact that should have kept me in place, but I moved his hands and sat up anyway. I was a little dizzy but the feeling subsided.

"You were the cause of the pain?" I asked. He nodded carefully. I touched my forehead but there was no feeling other than the tingle of Loki's energy. Loki pushed a strand of my hair behind my ear, his cool fingers brushing my cheek.

"You tried to rescue me from myself." I smiled as the god nodded. His emerald eyes never left me for a second. I remembered how my mind had just stopped, how I suddenly lost all connection with Loki.

"I heard you say my name, I just thought…" He didn't finish his sentence, but I knew what he meant. How had I blocked him out so completely? I still had problems with imagining a wall to even block him out a little so what had happened? Why had my mind suddenly shut down?

"I was with friends in a club. The music and the lights just flashed and then my mind just stopped." I whispered as I threw the ideas around in my head. Could I be holding some special connection with the music that it shut me down? Had it been Victor? Thoughts of Loki? My head started to hurt from all the thinking.

"Oh so you were with that midgardian male." Loki huffed as he took a seat in front of me. I shook my head and leaned forward so I was in his face. He seemed unfazed. How I wished I could make him blush, make his face contort in some emotion in favor of me.

"And if I was?" He stood and walked away from me a few steps.

"I'm returning you to your body, I have to think." I nodded.

"Until tomorrow night then?" I asked. Surprisingly he shook his head.

"No, you see I have things to worry about here on Asgard that I'd prefer you stay out of." He muttered. I almost felt offended, but not to the point of telling him about it.

"I will call on you when I wish to see you again." Just like that he was gone and I woke up lying in a rather large bed which I then realized was my own. There was no extra thoughts in my mind, nothing out of place. Loki had blocked me out and to tell you the truth it felt rather hollow.

"Oh goodness you're alright!" Pepper walked in with a glass of water. I shook my head.

"What happened after I passed out?" I asked.

"That boy Troy brought you home. He was quite worried about you." She smiled, handing me the glass of water. I took a grateful swig of the cold liquid.

"I blacked out Pepper. My brain just exploded with pain." I knew what had happened, but I wasn't willing to tell her.

"It doesn't have anything to do with someone named Loki does it?" I froze.

"How did you…?"

"You've said his name in your sleep a few times." I hated lying to her, but I couldn't break my promise to Loki.

"Loki is a mythological god from norse stories. He's my favorite to read about, I guess it just leaked into my dreams." I knew she didn't buy that, but at least she didn't push the matter. She promised to keep Tony out until he calmed down and left me to my thoughts. If only she knew my thoughts were filled with the so called mythological god, Loki.

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It had been a whole week but it felt like an eternity. My mind was vacant or at least it felt that way. No more did I feel the presence of Loki in my head and I assumed he had just blocked me out forever. I was feeling withdrawl from the strange tingling he caused when he touched me. He was really quite temperamental for a god. It might have been a good thing though since it was becoming obvious to me that Tony was sick. He never said anything about it, but I caught him checking his blood more than once when walking into the lab.

"It's the palladium." It wasn't a question. He didn't answer as he put on the suit. The Stark Expo started tonight and Tony insisted on making a big entrance.

"In my defense I didn't know the one element keeping me alive was actually slowly killing me." So he wouldn't deny it. He turned, the gold and red metal suit shining as the headpiece fell down over his face.

"You aren't allowed to die Tony, I'm not going to let you." He stepped out onto the balcony without looking back.

"Wish it were that easy kid." With that he was gone. I knew he hadn't told anyone and for his sake I would keep my mouth shut even though I desperately wanted to scream at someone to fix it. He was also avoiding me probably because I knew another wonderful fact.

"Jarvis I'm going to need the palladium research notes and while we are at it, I may need Howard Stark's notes on the ark reactor." I asked. There was a second's pause.

"I'm sorry Miss Stark but the notes of the ark reactor are vacant. Would you like me to look deeper?" Jarvis asked over the speakers.

"No, I have a feeling you won't find it, just pull up the suit schematics I've got some things to work on." I was supposed to go with Pepper to the Expo, but I had insisted on waiting for Tony. Now I was sure I wasn't going anywhere. There was silence again and it was more deafening than any other sound.

"Jarvis, AC/DC please, I can't concentrate in this silence." I spoke. Back in Black started playing in the background. I pulled out the screen and looked closely at the new schematic for the arc reactor. It was perfect all except for the core and the final blueprints. A new one would have to be created, but the design would be alright. There was tweaking to be done as usual, but maybe this could save his life. I found myself tearing up.

"Are you alright Miss Stark?" Jarvis asked, his voice booming through the room. I wiped my eyes.

"I'm worried Jarvis. I'm worried for my father, for my best friend, I'm even worried about myself for the first time in years." I whispered.

"I don't know how exactly you view the world, but perhaps everything happens for a reason." I smiled a little, the tears still falling down my face.

"Maybe I could find you a body Jarvis, then you can cheer me up all the time." I grinned, allowing myself to go through Tony's extensive research on the Ironman suit.

"If you wish Miss Stark." I wondered if I could enter emotions into Jarvis's wires? Just then the phone rang. I put on my Bluetooth headset and pressed send.

"Where are you Naia? I thought we were going to mingle?" It was Alex. I smiled into the phone. Maybe things weren't going so bad. Though in the midst of Tony's empending sickness I admitted to myself that I had forgotten all about my first date with Alex.

"I'm coming, had to finish up some stuff in the lab."

"You missed your dad's big show. Fireworks, the suit, and a sarcastic speech as usual." I rolled my eyes.

"Of course, that's just Tony." I got up from my chair straightening out my dress. Pepper had bought it for me, a beautiful long black sparkling fabric with a slit up the right side all the way up to my hip. It was also strapless and I had let Pepper get me a pair of black platforms with low heels.

"So how long until you get here?" Alex asked. He sounded nervous.

"I'm not ditching you honey, I swear. I'll be there in less than half an hour okay?" I pulled up my black garter, the one that held a little handy knife just in case I needed it.

"Have a good time on your date Miss Stark." Jarvis said. I grinned and put on my black shawl before exiting the lab to go on my first ever date. Somehow I couldn't be unhappy at that moment and that was something I was over the moon about. Yet I still thought of Loki, there was no one in my world like him. Alex was a surrogate and while I felt guilty about it, I couldn't make myself refuse this one small silver lining.

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The date went well. Alex and I moved about the expo together laughing and checking out the various pieces. I was especially interested in a new metal alloy under development. It was in baby stages, but perhaps if I bought the research…

Alex insisted on driving me home in his dads brand new car, a bright silver Mercedes CLA with green underlights. I was picking through the notes given from the metal alloy research. Alex didn't say anything on the drive. I didn't even notice when he stopped the car until he tapped my shoulder. I jumped at the contact.

"You really get into that stuff don't you?" He nodded towards the paper still in my hands. I nodded, folding the paper and placing it in my bag.

"Yeah, sorry about that. The metal alloy could be used for Tony's suit, with the right mind anyway." Troy's eyes softened.

"I'm sure there is no better mind for the job than yours." I blushed, was he flirting with me? He leaned over in the leather seat to get out. I made to open my own door, but he caught my wrist.

"I'll get it." So I sat still until he rounded the car and opened the door for me. He even helped me out onto the sidewalk. I hadn't ever had someone treat me this nice before. Alex walked me up to the door of Stark tower. It looked like Tony and Pepper weren't home yet.

"I had a lot of fun Troy, thank you." I smiled. Alex moved forward and wrapped his arm around my waist.

"So did I." Without warning Alex's lips encased mine. It still didn't feel right, there was no chilling tingle when he touched me. I was ruined for men. So instead of pushing him away I pulled him forward. If I wanted to be happy, I'd need to get used to imperfect yet adorable messes like many human men were. Alex was always kind to me, always there for me. There was no better choice than him. As we kissed I could feel the tears pouring down my face. No anger flared, no worry, no emotions that weren't my own. I was lost without the mind that up until recently had been so connected to my own. Alex broke away with a worried face.

"Are you okay? Did I do something wrong?" I shook my head and chuckled.

"No, I'm sorry I just get emotional when anyone shows me affection. Sad isn't it?" He smiled.

"No, I can understand it." I was way too good at lying. So when he asked his question there was only one answer I could give him.

"Will you be my girlfriend?"

"Yes."

!

!

!

Loki sat in his room, utterly frustrated. Sigyn was insisting on a marriage that the god really wanted to refuse. Even his father had decided it was a bad idea. Besides, the whole docile thing really wasn't his thing. He liked a strong woman, someone with a will of her own like Frigga had proved so many times to Odin. Yet most of the women of any kind on Asgard were like that. All except Sif and she was entirely off limits.

He gazed out over the kingdom, still unsure of whether or not he should recontact the Midgardian female. She had a special power, a resonance that was on the same frequency as his own. The notion in itself made him want to know her, nevermind what she looked or acted like. If only there were women here that had magic like his.

"Brother, Lady Sigyn has requested an audience." Thor stood at the door, a dissatisfied look on his face. The thunder god didn't like her either. She was really whiny when she wanted to be but somehow Loki figured someone would cave and she'd end up being his wife.

The though alone made his skin crawl. He turned to face Thor, a sour look on his face.

"Why does she insist on seeing me? Isn't it obvious that I hate her?" Loki snorted. Thor looked at him stupidly. That's right, even Loki's brother was a complete idiot. All Thor knew how to do was fight and he was far too prideful about it…that and the fact that he was to be the next King of Asgard.

"We could always go to the usual place brother, she won't find us there." Loki thought about it. Most likely Thor's friends would be there and they worshipped the ground he walked on. Yet if it was them or Sigyn…

"Let's go." Thor led the way, a triumphant smile plastered on his face. Loki felt a deep loathing in the pit of his stomach. He wouldn't be smiling later. All he had to do was cause a ruckus that made Thor lose his temper and then their father would see exactly how immature his older brother really was. It wasn't like Loki wanted the throne, but logically Thor shouldn't be king either, not with a brain that smile. Loki stopped insulting his brother in his head. Sure he loved his family, but he had never really belonged in any sense.

He just wished there was some place that made him actually feel like he was needed.


	6. Chapter 6

"Do you or do you not possess a specialized weapon?" Senator Stern, a rather pompous asshole, had called Tony to speak before a court about the suit. Something about a threat to national security or some shit. I wasn't buying it. People like the senator were greedy, it was in their nature. So when we actually got into the court room that day I was less than impressed by the whole row of politicians that faced us. I sat down just behind Tony's chair, Pepper on my left and Alex on my right. Did I mention we had been dating for a whole week now? Yeah, I was slowly getting over the strange relationship I had with a so called god. Anyway, I had dressed up for the occasion wearing a black dress with low front and sheer sleeves. Pepper looked rather miffed as she stared at the back of Tony's head. This wasn't good for business…or his health for that matter.

"No I do not."

"You do not?"

"No I do not. Well it depends on how you define the word weapon." Here we go.

"The Ironman weapon." The senator said in a rather nonchalant tone. Alex fidgeted in his seat.

"My device does not fit that description."

"How would you describe it?" Before the senator even finished Tony broke in.

"I would describe it by defining it by what it is senator." Oh god, he wasn't seriously going to embarrass himself right? Pepper was grinding her teeth slightly in nervous anticipation. Alex rested his hand on mine, seeing how upset I was.

"As?"

"It's a um…it's a high tech prosthesis." I face palmed, literally and in my head. Tony turned back to smile at me and Pepper. My fellow red head gave him a rather frustrated look while I tried to keep my face blank. The rest of the crowd laughed slightly.

"That…That is the most apt description I can make." Tony was making hand motions on the desk. I squeezed Alex's hand a little.

"It's a weapon, it's a weapon Mr. Stark and if you…" The senator was cut off by Tony again.

"If your priority was actually the well being…"

"My priority is to turn over the ironman weapon to the people of the United States of America." I really wanted to punch him. Why would America need more war machines anyway?

"Well you can forget it, I am ironman. The suit and I are one to turn over the iron man suit would mean turning over myself which could amount to endencered servitude or prostitution depending on which state we're in. Can't have it." Yes another joke. Pepper was starting to fidget around uncomfortably. Our little group was the only one not laughing.

"L-Look I'm no expert…"

"In prostitution of course not you're a senator come on!" Everybody started laughing again. Pepper shook her head when Tony turned back to look at her. Alex looked like he was trying not to laugh. Tony motioned for me to come up with him.

"I'm no expert in weapons, but we have someone here who is an expert on weapons. We call on Justin Hammer, our current primary weapons contractor." The senator watched as I took a seat next to Tony. The cameras around me flashed as I sat down.

"You know they aren't giving up Tony, you might want to add at least a little prick of fact besides just jokes." I hissed. He grinned.

"Hammer's too easy." Justin Hammer was a tall man with light skin, dark thick glasses, slicked back blond hair and rather unusual pursed lips. He was wearing a gray suit which made him look even more boring in person.

"May the record reflect that I observe Mr. Hammer entering the chamber and I am wondering when any actual expert will be in attendance." Hammer sat down on the opposite side of Tony. He didn't look very offended, but picked up a glass of water and raised it in Starks direction. He pulled the microphone forward and let out a chuckle.

"Absolutely, I'm no expert, I defer to you Anthony and perhaps even your daughter some day." I wanted to puke, the guy was flirting and it wasn't sexy at all.

"Senator, if I may, I may not be an expert, but I'll tell you who was… your dad! Howard Stark, really a father to us all and to the military and industrial age. Let's just be clear he was no flower child, he was a lion. We all know why we're here for the last six months Anthony Stark has created a machine with untold possibilities and yet he insists it's a shield. He asks us to trust him as we cower behind it." This guy was full of bull shit. I stopped listening and grabbed Tony's phone from his pocket. He looked at me and I smiled, pulling up a hacking grid. His frown faded into a mischevious grin. I waited for a few minutes while the idiot finished his speech. I started pulling up files from the home computer when they called James Rhodes in or Rhody as Tony liked to call him.

I stopped what I was doing to look around. I hadn't ever met the man, but had been told a thing or two. A tall black man entered in a navy suit. He had heavy set eyes and a rather serious demeanor. Tony got up to shake hands with him and Rhodes sat next to me.

"It's a pleasure Miss Stark to finally meet you." He shook my hand. His handshake was stiff.

"Likewise, just wish it was under different circumstances." I muttered. I wasn't really sure what to think. Colonel Rhodes was here to read from his report on Ironman, another piece that I had read before. It was an extremely comprehensive piece of the pros and cons of ironman. The pros outweighed the cons, but of course the senator insisted he read a piece that insisted on the danger of Tony Stark alone owning the iron man. When trying to defend the notion, the senator waved away the extra explanation easily.

"I would like to now differ to some of the imagery from your report…

"It's a little premature don't you think? To reveal the nature of these…" Rhodes wasn't happy about the whole thing, this much I could tell and it made me happy to have such a man on our side. The senator was insisting of course and the computer was turned on to show what looked like functional suits similar to Tony's. I handed him the phone and he hacked right into the screens. He handed the phone back to me and I hacked in a code that showed the videos of the so called functional suits. They failed horribly and just for fun I added the Hammer video Tony had showed me earlier. Rhodes was trying hard not to laugh.

"Well then I guess some countries 5, maybe 10 years away, Hammer industries 20."

"I want to point out that the test pilot did survive…" I giggled, he did just with severe injuries.

"You want my private property, you can't have it! But I did you a favor, I privatized world peace." Tony stood and gave up the peace sign. Everyone cheered. I felt it then, the tug on my mind that wasn't my own. I followed Tony out, almost feeling invaded with the new emotions in my head. He was back, his mind was melding with mine again. I had just gotten over that strange fascination with the god. Why did he have to come back? Part of me was frustrated and the other part relieved that I could speak to him again. I got dizzy as I stood up.

"You okay Naia?" Pepper was at my side, Alex at the other.

"Yeah, I'm just tired." I felt the call, but resisted it at least for now. He'd need to wait, he deserved it anyway.

"Wait until I'm alone." I whispered in my head. There was a smile and then contentment as we left the senate. It would be a long drive home, I could sleep.

"Do you want to take the plane back?" Pepper asked. I nodded, not really sure if I wanted to be with my father right now.

"You sure, I brought the new car." Tony stepped back towards a beautiful looking silver Ferrari. Maybe I could get a longer talk on the drive. I shook my head, Pepper was the safest choice.

"I'm gonna take the plane, with your driving I won't be able to sleep." Pepper smiled. Alex wrapped his arm around me and I felt something in my head twist angrily. The feeling was so involuntary I almost slapped Alex.

"Come on then Naia, let's get you some sleep." We took a government issue black sudan to the airport and on the ride there I fell asleep, relinquishing to the call. I was met by two cool, strong arms wrapping around me in an embrace.

"Loki…" I felt like I hadn't said the name in ages. Feeling it come from my lips was almost a relief.

"I apologize for not contacting you sooner." He whispered.

"It's alright, I missed having you in my head." Loki grinned, his bright green eyes twinkling in happiness. It was the truth. Now that I saw him again I was once again thrown into the awe of his presence. He looked the same, a beautiful specimen of the male gender. I wondered again how I had ever overcome this feeling before.

"I missed you as well my little midgardian. It was lonely not speaking to you." He actually rubbed my upper arms with his thumbs. The contact caused those pleasant tingles to run up and down my body.

"What is it you had to think about? You didn't tell me." He smiled.

"The barrier from before, I was researching it. There was also the matter of my family wishing me to take a lover." I felt a pang of jealously. Yet hadn't I done the same? I felt guilty now for dating Alex. Hadn't I agreed that Loki was off limits though? I tried to stop ripping my mind in half over this.

"Did you?" I asked. Loki blinked and pulled me closer to his chest.

"No, there may be beautiful women on Asgard, but none that capture my attention." I nodded, taking myself from his arms.

"Thor has also been asked to take a bride though I imagine he would have anyone." I giggled.

"I never asked about your brother, but perhaps you could tell me about him? When I read mythology I remember him as the guardian of thunder and lightning yes?" Loki frowned.

"What is this sudden interest in my brother?" I smiled.

"I want to know everything about you. I'm sorry if that offends you." He shivered a little and stood beside me. I finally took notice of the surroundings, the sky was alight with colors, the aurora borealis was what it looked like. We were standing on a huge block of ice, but it wasn't cold here.

"It does not. Perhaps it would be best if you knew about him." I sat down and Loki took a seat close to me, his leg pressing against mine to keep the tingling sensation. I had forgotten how handsome he was, how calm he acted. I thought back for a moment.

"Wait, did you find out anything about the barrier?" I asked. He shook his head.

"Nothing, it is unprecedented, but then again so is an Asgardian like me." He sounded upset for a moment. I placed a hand on his upper thigh. He froze.

"Are you alright?" I asked curiously. He sensitively placed his hand over my own, his skin cool against mine.

"Yes." He said no more, but grasped my hand so I knew not to pull back.

"Is it about your brother?" I shouldn't have pushed it, but I had said it now. Loki tensed again.

"He is to be crowned the next all king of the nine realms." His jaw locked slightly as spoke.

"Well I didn't vote for him." The sentence hung in the air, not helping like I thought it would.

"You don't understand, he is arrogant, foolish! I may not wish for the position but he does not deserve the title if he can't fulfill father's rules." He hissed. I squeezed his hand in reassurance for him to continue.

"He is crowned tomorrow and what will he bring upon us if not war and destruction? Father insists, but he is not ready!" I couldn't help but smile, pressing myself closer to him.

"You care deeply for your brother don't you?" I think I hit a nerve, but he didn't say so. His fingers entwined with mine.

"How do you withstand my skin? Even my mother says I am cold." He changed the subject. I stroked my thumb across his face, sending brilliant electric tingles down my arm. He closed his eyes at the touch.

"You are warm to me." I told the truth. When I touched him I felt warm, the cool skin of him lowered the heat that rose from me, a heat I imagined came from the energy flowing through me.

"I'm sure that despite his favor of Thor to be king, your father loves you. Even with the so called cold of your skin, your mother still touches you doesn't she?" He reached up and pressed my hand flat against his cheek. For a moment it looked like steam rose from the spot.

"Yes, but none of them make me feel so warm." He opened his eyes, the bright emeralds glittering in their own light. I retracted my hand, not really sure of myself. Loki looked disappointed, but said nothing.

"I should go, it will be morning soon and I need to make sure my father doesn't do anything stupid." I stood, but Loki kept hold of one of my hands.

"You do not know your birth parents right?" He asked. I shook my head.

"Yet you still care for those that have taken you in?" I smiled and nodded.

"They saved me from a horrible life and though I have been in pain for many years Tony brought me peace. He allowed me to explore my profession of interest and he nurtures me like a real father would. I love him as my father even if not by blood." I explained. He nodded and smiled.

"While I understand, I am glad I am not like you." I giggled.

"Understandable." He came forward and pulled me into a hug. I hugged back.

"Because of the coronation I will need more sleep and while I enjoy seeing you, I must again wait sometime." He pushed a strand of hair out of my face and cupped my face. I was sure I felt steam rise that time.

"Just try not to wait too long this time, I worry too much." He chuckled.

"Of course." He whispered. Before I realized what was happening, his lips were on mine. A jolt of pleasant tingles rose up my spine. He pulled back rather quickly which disappointed me, but I still felt dizzy even from that lightest touch.

"Stay safe princess." He kissed right next to my ear before everything went black.

"Ah come on!" I woke up in bed, my face tomato red. Why couldn't he have at least told me what that was about. Maybe it was to reseal that deal we made, besides how could it be anything else. Now I was going to be pondering it up until I could talk to him again. I found my thoughts lost in the god of mischief.


	7. Chapter 7

We flew to Monaco that morning. Tony was sponsoring a car, sort of anyway. Pepper and I were accompanying him. I have to say on the plane flight I kept close to the man. A little over half a year and Tony had become my best friend, my father, and part of my growing world. I could tell he was uncomfortable.

"Tony, why are we doing this?" He smiled, gripped my arm, and said absolutely nothing. I was scared for him, scared of what was happening to him. Most of all I was scared of losing the one person who had showed me mercy after years of nothing. I literally attached myself to his side at this point. He wasn't getting out of my sight. Pepper even seemed to notice as we left the airport that I was staying close to his side. Tony didn't seem to mind though. In all honesty I think he welcomed it though I can't say for sure.

We got to the track just before the race was going to start. Pepper had her arm through Tony's left, I had his right arm. The cameras were going crazy, taking pictures of the three of us. There was a good amount of people inside the restaurant overlooking the track too. A bunch of big wigs and popular sponsors of the cars were scattered about. I held tight to Tony even when Pepper let go.

"Who is that?" A woman with long dark red hair and bright blue eyes came towards us. She was wearing a pressed peach dress and matching pumps. The looks of this woman could kill any man dead.

"Tony hired her it seems." Pepper seemed highly displeased.

"Natalie Rothman, Miss Stark it is a pleasure indeed to finally meet you." The woman reached out a hand and shook my own. Tony seemed oh so pleased at seeing her here. We walked across the floor, but Pepper held me back for a few moments.

"Naia listen, is there something wrong with Tony? He handed me the company, hired Natalie, and seems to be even more reckless than usual." I bit my lip, unsure of what to say. Tony wouldn't want me to tell her anything, afraid that she might worry too much.

"Nothing, nothing at all." Pepper looked disappointed, but nodded and moved on towards Tony. I stopped to look out at the cars. I started to think of the world before Tony, before Loki. So much had changed since the beginning of my life. I was staring at nothing really, thinking about my world. What if Tony died? What if I lost that which I cared most for? In all honesty what did I care most for? Someone tapped me on the shoulder.

"Hello? Earth to Naia!" I was thinking about that kiss again. My mind was wandering a lot lately and somehow no one but Pepper noticed. I had stopped seeing Alex, which was a little awkward, but we at least agreed to be friends. I had told him there was someone else and I figured there was if Loki actually liked me that way. That's where my mind had been going, to thoughts of our last meeting. It had only been a day or two, but the feeling of bliss was still there. Even if it was unrequited, I just couldn't justify holding Alex up anymore.

"Huh?" I looked up at my fellow red head. She was scrunching up her nose in discomfort. She pointed up to the TV. There was Tony in a drivers suit standing next to his race car. Wait a minute, only drivers wore the suit…oh crap. He had gotten away from me so fast. I didn't hesitate to make a b-line for the door. I got blocked by someone's arm. The gray suit gave it away.

"Well we meet again Naia, what a pleasure it is." Hammer was standing in front of me, grinning like an idiot.

"It's Miss Stark, please." I ground out, trying to get around him.

"What do you think of all this Naia? Anthony really is sticking his neck out isn't he?" I was getting impatient. Hammer tried to slink his arm over my shoulders. That was it. I braced his arm and flipped him onto the nearest table. Everyone around us gasped audibly.

"You don't ever touch a lady without permission and it's still Miss Stark to you." I released his arm and walked out, leaving an immobile CEO behind me.

I wasn't sure what I was doing, but suddenly the air became heavy. People around me were giving me a wide berth. I made my way to the track where I heard screaming coming from the crowd. The stands were emptying like crazy. I made my way around and jumped the fence on the other side of the stands. That's when I saw him. A man, dirty and tan with black and gray hair that reached his shoulders was standing in the middle of the road. Broken pieces of racecars were around him. His upper half was covered by metal wiring that lead to two long electric charged whips. Another car whipped around the corner.

"Tony!" I screamed. The man smashed his whip through the front of the car, cutting it in half. One half flipped while the other skidded into the wall. I raced across the track to the wreckage. Tony was flipped upside down in the shell of his half of the car. With some sort of force I ripped the seatbelt off and pulled him out.

"You okay?" I asked curiously. Tony shook his head, blinking as he tried to reach his equilibrium.

"I'm good, just…wow." He kept trying to stand. I turned to the man with electric whips. He was smiling. The air around me became heavy again, the pressure suddenly pressing down on me. I was starting to spark and flame on certain parts of my body. The man's face was beginning to drop. I looked down at my hands and saw the bright blue blossoming over my skin (think Kida when she merges with the crystal in Atlantis).

"You leave my father alone!" I screamed, a voice that sounded ethereal, beautiful and distinct. I raised my hand and a burst of white hot blue energy blasted at the man. He staggered back as the beam blew him against the fence. I felt everything seeming to melt off my body as my whole body became the shining metallic blue from before. I was beginning to burn the man's skin, I could smell it.

"Naia!" I heard someone shout. I released him and turned where Tony stood with Pepper and Happy next to a large black car. Happy had smashed right into the man, he wasn't moving, but the whips were still electrified. Around his chest was a X with a bright circular object that powered his whole suit. It was an arc reactor!

"That's Naia?!" Happy spoke. I looked down at my hands. From the oil on the ground I could see my reflection. I was naked, but covered in a bright metallic blue that shimmered. Even my eyes were the same color, my hair flying around me. I didn't think, instead I ran. Yet the form I was in flew, moving above the stadium and disappearing into the clouds. I really was a freak and the whole world had seen it!

I tried to concentrate, to grasp onto something that made me whole. I started falling, my skin turning back to its normal color. I angled my body, looking for a safe place to land. I couldn't see through the wind. I fell, naked and vulnerable downward to my death. I closed my eyes. Tony was dying, I had a friend that wasn't even near my planet, and my life would be in shambles soon anyway. I was a freak. Something hard hit my side and I found myself moving forward again. Through the tears I found myself held by Ironman, the red and yellow metallic suit slightly beaten up.

"I'm sorry Tony, Im so sorry." I whispered, not really caring that I was naked right now. I figured I was apologizing for what I had been thinking just moments before. Of course I should live, there were people who cared enough for my life to mean something now. I felt myself beginning to cry.

"It's okay Naia." I whimpered as he flew off with me held close. We didn't speak for the rest of the flight and I was almost afraid to open my mouth.

!

!

!

!

It was all over the news, the oddity of Anthony Stark's adopted daughter. Had she transformed or was it another elaborate suit created by Tony? I hid in my room as soon as we got home. I didn't even let Pepper in which was something in itself. The man who had attacked Tony on the track was named Ivan Vanko, a Russian from Siberia of all places. Tony was quiet and secluded after the attack and after my strange transformation. I didn't want to talk about it so the silence was fine with me. I looked down at my hands and wondered if I was human. At least with my powers alone I had felt a little normal. Now with this new information that whole idea was blown out the window. A sharp click and my door opened. People really didn't knock anymore.

"You need to come with me Miss Stark." I was surprised to find Natalie, the pretty red head Tony had just hired.

"Who says?" I asked, poking my head out of the fluffy comforter. I had burrowed into my covers, making myself into a huge lump under the red sheets.

"I'm afraid I have to insist Miss Stark." A large black man stepped out from behind Natalie. He wore a long trench coat and leather boots, all black with a black eye patch. His head was bald and he was really tall. The air about him was thick with testosterone. In most cases he would be intimidating, but I ignored that fact.

"And who exactly are you?" I asked, raising an eyebrow. The man flipped the light switch so light illuminated the room. It took me a few moments to adjust to it. Natalie was dressed in a tight leather body suit with a belt that had a red hourglass on it. Her wrists were surrounded by wrist bands that had bullets holstered around them.

"Figures you weren't really a secretary." I mumbled as she moved towards me.

"Names Nick Fury and I run S.H.I.E.L.D."

"Never heard of you." I pulled the comforter over my head again.

"I bet you are wondering what happened to you today right?" I looked at Natalie carefully.

"You can't seriously think you know what's going on can you?" Natalie smiled.

"On the contrary Miss Stark, we know more than you think." Fury extended his hand which held a tablet. I looked at it and then back to him before grabbing it and opening up the only file on it. Images of a large blue cube appeared on screen.

"The tesseract?" I asked, reading over the name of the cube.

"We believe your body is somehow resonating with the energy of the tesseract. That's why you were able to become what you did today." The blue of the cube was hauntingly like that of my skin as it reverted to blue. The smoking flame around it resembled the edges of my body when I transformed.

"How do you know this?" I asked, picking up the image of the cube and moving it around.

"The tesseract spiked when you transformed as if reacting to you. It's light dimmed and electronics in the area went haywire." Natalie explained. I looked from her to Fury and back.

"Say I come with you, what exactly are you going to do?" I asked. Fury laughed.

"We won't hurt you if that's what you mean. We simply want to see how the tesseract reacts if you get close to it." I wasn't convinced, but the idea was intriguing. Maybe my other various powers came from a connection with this cube. I smiled.

"Alright, but I have conditions." Fury nodded for me to continue.

"First, you have to be straight with me, no lies and trust me I'll know." I glanced at Natalie who sighed.

"My real name is Natasha Romanov." She introduced. I shook her hand loosely before turning back to Fury.

"Second, unless I authorize it there is no testing to be done on me, not even a health exam." Fury nodded again.

"And Last I still get to sleep here." I pointed down at the bed I was on, but I knew they understood. I wasn't a lab rat and I would sleep at home.

"You have a deal." Fury held out his hand which I took. There was a knock on the door and Fury muttered frustrated. Natasha now quietly looked at me. It was obvious what she was asking.

"Door on the left, it's an extra exit." Fury nodded and Natasha bowed before they disappeared behind the extra door leading out.

"Come in." I called. Tony opened the door, closing it right behind him.

"Figures you could get in if no one else could." I chuckled. He looked rather serious, ruffling his own hair before he spoke.

"Listen kid, about earlier…" My face fell. I wasn't sure what he was going to say. Was he going to disown me?

"Thanks." I was confused.

"For what exactly?" Tony smiled, a real smile.

"A guess a distraction wouldn't give you enough credit would it? Probably for saving my ass long enough for me to get the suit." I sighed, slinging my legs so they dangled over the side of the bed. Tony took a seat next to me, his eyes still on me.

"You aren't freaked out?" He actually laughed at this point.

"Really Naia? Me? The one who has a permanent battery in his chest?" I giggled.

"If only there were more dads like you."

"You mean people with permanent batteries?" I laughed and Tony smiled.

"No, sarcastic assholes who make me feel better." I tapped the reactor. I laid back and Tony stood up.

"Well now that you are reassured I hope you will join Pepper and I for dinner." I smiled and nodded.

"Yeah, I'll be there." I agreed, grinning like an idiot. If only I had seen the veins crawling up Tony's neck or even the forlorn and troubled expression he had when he left. Then maybe something's would have been done a bit different.

I found myself studying the tesseract and my connection with it. Fury had given me a live feed camera to the tesseract room so I could watch what happened when I used my powers. Sure enough there was a spike then sufficient drop when I used blasts or energy spikes. Yet no matter how hard I tried I couldn't transform like I had earlier. When I got called down for dinner I was in a thoughtful mood. We were supposed to have sushi tonight with warm rice (Tony promised). Pepper was already sitting down reading over some papers.

"Hey Pepper, I'm sorry I didn't open the door." She looked up and smiled, patting the seat next to her. I took the spot and looked over the paperwork in front of her.

"This CEO business is the real deal huh?" She ran her hands through her hair and tried to keep a smile on her face.

"Honestly? It's killing me and I'm still not sure why I was given the title." I patted her back sympathetically before helping myself to some shrimp and crab sushi before pulling some of the papers over to me.

"Oh no honey you don't need to do that!" Pepper tried to pull the papers back but I kept a firm grip on them.

"Yes I do. I have little else to do so at least let me help out." I took the top page off and started reading over it. Most of the papers were about inventors wanting investments. They were all denied of course, stupid ideas about useless objects.

"Does it bother you?" Pepper suddenly asked.

"What?"

"Tony being so strange lately, do you think there's something wrong?" She asked, exasperated as she placed another paper on the done pile.

"You really care about him don't you?" Pepper froze.

"What makes you think that?" Her face was turned, but I could see the tinge of red on her cheeks.

"The blush is a good indication." I giggled when she swung around with a rather frustrated look on her face.

"Calm down, I won't tell him." I riffled through the papers on the desk.

"Do you still like Alex?" She asked. This time I froze.

"No, there's someone else." I cursed myself for that. I could have just said no! Pepper had an interesting way of pulling things out of me without trying. She just nodded though.

"Are you going to tell him?" I asked, trying to change the subject away from me. Pepper sighed.

"How can I? He's reckless, stupid, stubborn, and just so…so…"

"Dreamy?" I giggled when Pepper cleared her throat.

"Not the word I would use, but I guess." I grinned.

"You'd be good for him you know. I haven't been around long and I still think it's a good idea." She shook her head.

"Come on Pepper, you'd be his rock, the one solid thing in his life." She continued to ignore me so I moved some of the papers to stare her straight in the face.

"If you don't he could spiral and I worry Pep. I love Tony too and what he's doing isn't healthy. Maybe you're what he needs." I whispered. Pepper sighed.

"I don't know if I could handle it." She whispered. Tony still hadn't shown up for dinner.

"What would you do if he died?" I asked. She stopped shuffling papers.

"I don't know." The room was quiet for a few moments.

"I'm gonna go find Tony." I left Pepper to her work and her thoughts.

"Tell him to hurry, we worry about him." I turned back and nodded before leaving the room and walking down into Tony's private lab. The glass showed the inner workings of the lab. Tony was shirtless at his desk, his back to me as he fiddled with something in front of him. I tried to gain entrance, but my usual code didn't work.

"I'm sorry Miss Naia, I have been forbidden to allow you into the lab." Jarvis's voice came over the intercom. I growled, taking out my portable tool kit (part of being a Stark) and took apart the key pad on the door until it slid open.

"I should know better than to have even tried." Tony chuckled.

"I'm sorry sir, she overrode the protocol." Jarvis muttered.

"It's alright Jarvis, if anyone knows it might as well be her." Tony turned around in his seat and I gasped audibly. The reactor in his chest was still glowing as bright as ever, but coming from that spot were long and bent lines of purple pressed against the skin. The lines seemed to be expanding with every heartbeat. They all connected around the center of Tony's chest.

"I knew you were hiding something, but nothing like this." I whispered. One of the bots put a glass of nasty looking thick green liquid onto the desk. Tony took a few swigs and winced in disgust.

"Does that help?" I asked. He swallowed and shook his head.

"Not enough." I watched him slowly move back to the piece sitting before him. It was a rusted and melted piece of metal which I recognized as the core of his reactor. I moved to his side and looked down at it.

"The core, can't withstand the strain." It was a statement of fact, not a question.

"No, it can't and the reaction is quite poisonous." It had already been a while since the last expo and it seemed he was deteriorating faster.

"How long?" There was a pause as if he didn't want to answer.

"How long Tony?" I pressed further.

"Maybe three months." I held back a sob. So this was why he had been acting so strange. He had given the company to Pepper because he knew he was dying. He sighed.

"You can't tell Pepper." He whispered.

"Why not? She cares about you too Tony, we all do! Why would keep this from us?!"

"Because I knew how you would react!" He turned and faced me. I was crying now, the tears spilling over onto my cheeks. Tony ran a hand through his hair.

"Listen kid, I've gotten rather attached to being alive so I'm not giving up okay? Just don't cry." I walked into his arms, listening to the frantic heartbeat that meant he was still alive, still with me. Tony wrapped his arms around me.

"I'm not letting you die, not ever." I whimpered. Tony chuckled.

"I'm holding you to that Naia. If I'm not immortal then I'm counting a failure." I smiled, only Tony could be this snarky when he was dying.

"Sir, Pepper is requesting your presence upstairs." Jarvis informed us.

"I'll be up in a minute." He muttered. Tony turned to me as he put his shirt back on.

"Not a word of my condition to Pepper got it?" I wanted to argue, but for once I decided to give in. I didn't like it, but I nodded. I really didn't like lying, especially to Pepper.


	8. Chapter 8

_So you guys know, because of the insane work load I have this semester can only update every two weeks. However, there will be times when I get unexpected down time (like today) and can write a bit. Enjoy!_

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It was Tony's birthday. I'm quite sure he was convinced it would be his last. I had seen him sick the day before, horribly ill. So sick I had to change the palladium for him. The veins were getting worse, running along his neck now. I was fighting back sobs while I replaced the core. It was all becoming too much. I was scared for him, afraid that this really might be his last birthday. I was being selfish though, wanting him alive.

I thought of that when I handed him his shirt for the night. Honestly, he looked nervous, frightened.

"Tony, you know I love you right?" Tony smiled weakly.

"Yea I do kid, not sure why though." I giggled, the first time in a long time.

"You saved my life Tony, I really wish you'd let me help save yours." Tony sighed, wiping his palm down his face.

"It's not that I won't, it's that I can't. I've tried it all Naia, even before you came skipping in. I suppose adopting you can be considered my last achievement." I sighed, injecting him with a short term toxicity repressor.

"Father, you really shouldn't give up…"

"I'm not!" He snapped. I tried to remember that it was the fear speaking, not actually him. I stood calmly, waiting for him to relax if not just a little bit. Yet he stayed quiet. Natasha entered the room and I nodded at her before leaving the room. I was thinking of Loki again, quite unsure of what to really believe of him. I missed speaking to him, that much was clear. Knowing each other for such a little time made no difference at all. We were similar, very much so in fact.

"Hey Naiira." Pepper appeared down the hall, a bluetooth ear piece around the cartilage of her ear. She pressed a button on the ear piece before turning to once again to speak to me.

"Pepper, how is the party going?" She sighed.

"It should have been cancelled." She muttered. I nodded, agreeing entirely. Without another word I moved on however. I couldn't speak to Pepper long for fear of telling her all that was happening. I was afraid and she was like my sister, someone I could always count on for knowledge and experience beyond my own reach. I moved downstairs to the large hall in which everyone was now partying. A good number of people were already drinking, the DJ playing all sorts of music from Tony's playlists. My throat felt dry, but I didn't really want to carry around a glass of any beverage.

I was weary and if not to support my father I wouldn't be here at all. Tony should have been coming down the stairs by now. I watched Pepper descend, but she looked confused. Where had Tony gone then? I waited until it seemed he wasn't coming before moving to Pepper's side. Her eyes were set elsewhere however. Upon looking up to where her eyes were set, I found my father. He was wearing his Ironman suit, the face mask pushed up so people could see his face. He teetered onto the stage, obviously already horribly drunk. His irrational decisions were driven by his obvious death sentence. Tony grabbed the microphone from the stage.

"Hey everybody! Nice party right? Yeah I thought so too. So a lot of people ask me how I go to the bathroom in the suit." Tony opened his arms wide and looked like he was concentrating. There was no sound except whispering.

"Just like that." There was cheering in the crowd. Pepper handed me her drink and I downed it in seconds. Pepper's glass had Champagne in it. I'd never had alcohol, so the slight burn down my throat was new but not unwelcome. Although the taste had a light tint of strawberry in it, the flavor wasn't something I'd get used to in one try. I went to the bar and ordered more though. The slight dizziness it caused was able to relax some of my fears. I wasn't paying attention to my surroundings at this point. For a moment my body felt light, tingly like it had when Loki touched me. I liked the feeling. Yet it was gone in seconds. I took more and more drinks. There were ten glasses on the table when I heard shots. I looked up carefully and the hazy feeling disappeared again.

"I'm only gonna say this once…Get out." The crowd thinned, disappearing out the door quickly. There stood a silver ironman, one of the prototypes I had been working on. The face piece was still sticking up showing Rhody's face staring out at us all. Once the guests had disappeared Tony stepped down.

"You aren't fit to wear that suit Tony, take it off." Pepper grabbed my arm, pulling me away even though I was fighting to stay. We followed the other guests out of the house. Tony was going to kill himself. I was screaming on the inside.

"Come on Naia, come on!" Pepper yanked forward. I didn't take my eyes off of Tony. My world was beginning to crumble. She pulled me down into the lower levels overlooking the sea.

"Nothing wrong? Nothing?! You knew didn't you?!" Pepper screamed. I shook my head.

"I didn't know he'd do this Pepper! He's trying to kill himself! I just…" I felt my body stiffening at the subject.

"Kill himself? Why would he?" Pepper looked frustrated, confused.

"Natalie." She whispered. I raised an eyebrow, she thought Natalie was the cause of this whole thing? As if on cue Natalie appeared on the stairs, her perfect hair bouncing as she walked.

"You! Since you came along…."

"Pepper please…"

"Don't Pepper me! I know what you are up to you…" Tony smashed through the floor, Rhody on top of him. The debri scattered everywhere and it took seconds before both were on their feet again. Pepper screamed, running out behind Natalie. I stayed put, watching. Rhody tackled Tony to the floor again. Once again the Ironman suits got up. A huge blast exploded from Rhodes fist. Tony went through a wall, Rhody close behind. I followed through the new hole into the second room.

"Tony!" I yelled, but the noise was covered up by the smash of bedrock as the Ironmen faced each other once more. At the same time Rhodes and Tony raised their hands. Bright light pooled in their palms, a light that became brighter as they stared off. I was horribly upset, afraid of what would happen when they shot each other. The Ironman suit was powerful, but was it powerful enough. I stood still, shocked. What was I supposed to do? I made a quick decision, one that I wouldn't regret even if others did.

"Put your hand down Tony."

"Think you can be the War Machine huh?"

"Put it down Tony!"

"Come on!"

"No!" I screamed and ran forward. It was fast. One moment I was moving towards the two men and the next, a flash of light and the pull on my subconscious. I started to wonder if I had a death wish at this point. Was I dead? I should be after a double hit from two Ironman suits. It was dark, black with light from the twinkling stars that cast shadows over the ground.

"Loki?" I called into the black. It had to be, there was no other way I would lose consciousness that quickly. There wasn't any movement that I could see. I stepped forward and a rush of wind pressed against my back. A cold chill ran up my spine, but my body created a warmer sensation.

"Loki?" I called again. There was another rush of wind and a new shadow joined me. I reached forward only to have my hand meet air. I left my hand there until something became cold and solid underneath my fingers.

"What happened?" I whispered. He said nothing, but now I could at least see him, the back of him anyway. It suddenly fell a few degrees. He wasn't wearing his cape anymore, just the cold leather armor that hugged his form. He didn't move, but didn't respond to my touch even though I knew he felt the tingling as I did.

"Loki…"

"I'm a monster." He whispered. His hand came up to meet mine, the fingers more cold than before. I lit my fingers into a bright blue fire. From the light of the flame I saw the blue color of his hands, the scar markings on the skin. Was there something wrong? Was he hurt?

"What happened to you?" He turned around slowly, his eyes fixed on the ground. I kept my hand alight and in the flickering flame I gazed upon a different face than the one I had come to know. His skin was an icy blue with white tint like frost with scars running in circles and swirls all over his face and neck from what I could see. He finally looked up at me, his eyes a brilliant and fiery red like my hair. His slicked back black hair shone against the blue of his skin. I could see tears frosting on his cheeks as they fell from his eyes.

"I don't understand." A change of skin, how did this make him a monster? His eyelids fluttered slightly before his eyes met mine. There must have been something he didn't tell me, something I didn't know.

"Of course, a midgardian wouldn't understand."

"Then help me understand." I took his cool hand into my fiery fingers. He didn't speak, he didn't move. When he looked up at me, his eyes were filled with fury.

"You are ignorant mortal, how do you think you would ever understand?! I was lied to my whole life! My birth father was a monster, a Jotunn and you think you can understand?" He screamed at me, ice was forming on his fingers, but I continued to burn it down, not relinquishing my grip on his hand. I had heard that name before, Jotunn. They were the species of Frost Giant that lived in an icy wasteland. From mythology they were the worst enemy of Asgardians and were constantly looking for ways into war.

"Then why did you call me?" My voice was low, angry, frustrated. The world began to spin, causing the stars to slide and shoot at odd angles. I could feel my skin heating up. Loki didn't speak, but glared at me.

"To see why I had decided to speak to you, why did I feel as if you had to know?" He growled, the last question for himself rather than me.

"I am your friend."

"You are a weak and insignificant mortal and I never should have made contact!" His voice broke and I felt fire course through my veins, the transformation overcoming my whole being. I felt my feet leave the ground, my hair begin to float around my head.

"You think you are a monster? A change of skin color and temperature and you suddenly become a freak?!" I screamed. He stood in awe of my transformation, the energy floating about and licked at the world around me.

"I wanted to know you! To understand some one I had thought only existed in dreams! You bonded us, why do this now?!" I yelled.

"How could you ever realize what it was like?! To know you were taken only to be used like some relic when you thought your family loved you! You don't even have a family! At least you grew up alone! At least you were always a freak!" He screamed. I sensed it before I felt it. The feeling of anger as I listened to those voices. One after another they mocked me.

"Freak!"

"Loser!"

"You'll never have a family or be normal like us!"

"Stay away from me you monster!"

"No, stop it!" I screamed, trying to shut down the voices in my head.

I lost control, screaming into the space and making the sky break, shattering around me like pieces of glass. Bright light surrounded us, the white of it engulfing me and Loki separately.

"Make it stop!" I muttered and the light plated around us. Loki actually looked surprised, scared as his skin turned to normal.

"Please!" The plated light shattered and I felt a jolt as my subconscious was pulled away from the god. He reached for me, but only caught my wrist. The jerk of the weight hurt. His eyes showed great regret, a feeling of fear. He mouthed something, but I just couldn't hear it. I had always been horrible at reading lips. I gripped his wrist in return feeling the cool tingle of lightning that shot up my arm. Loki's grip was slipping. What the hell was happening? I couldn't let go though. Loki needed to explain, we could fix this. I felt my grip slackening.

It only made me hold on to him harder. I swung my other hand to grip his forearm and he gripped that forearm with his free hand.

"You have to stop Naia, I'm sorry, just stop." A calming voice entered my head. I wasn't worried so much about how, but as Loki's voice whispered I felt myself beginning to relax.

"I'm sorry Naiira, forgive me. Forgive me." The wind died down and my body went slack. The blue suddenly became the white skin it had been before. I was bare, I could feel Loki hold my waist. He was pressing me against the leather of his armor. Tears were beginning to fall from my eyes.

"Y-Your skin…it is the most beautiful blue." I whispered against his chest. His grip on me tightened. There was a slight ease as the world around me disappeared. The arms holding me became smoke. As much as I tried to hold on, I was waking up in the real world. I opened my eyes and found myself in a bright white room. I was naked, that much was obvious in the first few seconds. It was also rather obvious that something smelled like burning clothes.

"Jesus how did she survive that?" A voice asked. I shot up in bed, not even a dizzy spell wracking my brain.

"Whoa!" I ripped the cords from my arm, the monitors off my chest. A droning beep sounded in the background.

"Tony, where the hell is Tony! I'm gonna kill him!" I stood up naked, my soft bright crimson hair hanging down right over my breasts in waves. Had it been that long before?

"Miss, calm down please." A man in white walked up to me, his arms outstretched. I raised a hand to stop him and a spark flew from my fingertips, knocking him back. All I thought about at the time was getting to Tony. He and Rhody hadn't exactly been sutile with attacking each other.

"Naiira relax, we just want to help…" I lashed out, flipping whoever it was backwards into the small futon I had been laying on. Fury ran in, the only dark skinned man in the room. He was quite calm, still serious as hell though.

"I would appreciate it if you would stop attacking my scientists, it took all hell to make sure your energy spike didn't hurt anyone." I didn't instantly calm down, but I at least knew someone I was talking to.

"Tell me where I am and where Tony is." I spat, ready to run if I needed to.

"Perhaps you would at least like to get dressed?" I looked down at myself and felt the anger dissipate. Now I was embarrassed by the fact that I was naked in front of a man probably twice my age and who knows how many countless others. Fury snapped his fingers and Natasha walked in. She handed me a pair of black yoga pants and a silk silver button up shirt. I was also handed a pair of underwear and matching silk black bra. I put the clothes on quickly right there before looking at Fury once again.

"I'm going to ask you again, where the hell is Tony?" Fury sighed.

"He is currently working on the creation of a new element to replace the palladium in his chest." I raised an eyebrow.

"Can I see him?" I asked. Fury shook his head.

"Not right now, he needs his privacy for this experiment. Not even Miss Potts is allowed near him. Seems that isn't a problem since she doesn't want to see him." I rubbed my wrists, a nervous twitch I had occasionally.

"When can I see him?" Natasha didn't smile, but she didn't frown either, sort of a serious look as always.

"As soon as he succeeds." I smiled. Of course Tony always succeeded. It wasn't in his nature to fail. Yet suddenly I began to think of Loki. Tony would be alright now, that was for certain. So what about Loki? There was no one I could ask and when I tried to connect the channel it hurt, felt like a bee stinging my every pore. How was I supposed to find out anything or help him if I couldn't even find him.

"Yes, I'm sure Tony will be fine…you didn't tell me where we are." Fury spoke again, his voice deep.

"We are in a S.H.I.E.L.D base below the ground." I turn to face him and Natasha.

"You housed me with the Tesseract yes?" Fury had a huge grin on his face.

"I knew you were smart, you want to see it?" I nodded. Natasha led me out of the small room. There were people in suits walking around everywhere. A few men with bulletproof vests and guns strapped to their backs.

"So, you guys are military I imagine. A secret organization yeah?" Natasha nodded.

"We work with the UN and we have bases all over the world." She explained as we walked down the hall. A few people nodded in her direction. She made no movement to reciprocate the motion.

"You will tell no one of this you understand? Only Fury and a few choice people know about the Tesseract. It isn't being studied yet." I nodded assent. She moved into what looked like a storage room. I followed. Once the door closed a light came on. Natasha moved into the room and pulled a black case off of one of the many shelves in the room. She placed it on a small table in the back and entered a code to unclasp it. As it opened a bright blue glow appeared in the crevasse.

I came forward to finally look upon the cube kept in a metallic casing.

"I thought you said you found readings off it when I transformed?" I whispered as I reached out for the cube.

"We said we saw the light dim and electronics mess up." It was true, they had never really told me anything other than that. The information had been minimal as well. I touched it, the sudden electricity that coursed through my veins was caused by contact. I wanted it to be Loki though, to be his magic I felt instead of the electricity caused by the cube.

"Naia." Natasha whispered, the cube reacted, dimming and almost becoming one with my hand. It felt warm and familiar like an old friend. I placed it back in it's case. Natasha closed the case as the door opened behind us.

"Excuse me Agent Romanov. I was told you might know where Hawkeye was. He's needed for a mission in New Mexico." Natasha was about to speak when I cut in.

"What kind of mission?" The man looked at me. He was wearing a suit like so many others around him, he even had a rather ordinary face. His slightly bald head was still covered by a good bit of light brown hair.

"I'm sorry Miss, but that's classified." I pursed my lips.

"It's alright Coulson, this is Agent Stark." The man raised an eyebrow.

"So you are Miss Stark, it's a pleasure. I'm Agent Phil Coulson." He reached out a hand to shake mine. I took it.

"Naiira if you don't mind. Tell me, what kind of mission?" If there was a lady luck somewhere she was shining on me right now.

"Seems something fell out of the sky and we have reports that it's a big silver hammer." I smiled.

"I think you could use me then."

(Ok so here is where I am starting to rewrite. If you hadn't noticed, the Ironman II and Thor storylines overlap. About the time Tony is working on a replacement for palladium, Coulson says he has been reassigned to New Mexico. This was because Thor's hammer landed there. I know this was upsetting ish, but the Lokiness isn't over yet. From here she will meet Thor and learn how he feels about his brother as well as getting to better understand Loki. So get ready for Thor crossover time guys!)


	9. Chapter 9

_Okay so I fucked up the timeline just a little bit. Thought someone might mention it so you'll have to get over it. Anyway, on with the show!_

I broke the code on Tony's phone and called him.

"Phone privileges reinstated already?" I smiled. I missed his snarky nature.

"Not really Mr. Stark, just checking to make sure you really haven't killed yourself yet." There was a really loud laugh from the other side of the phone.

"Really kid? I gotta say I'm pretty glad you aren't dead. I couldn't live with that on my conscience." I knew he was joking around, but there was a good hint of relief hidden in his tone.

"How are you Tony?" He sighed.

"I'm just fine kid, no need to worry about me. How about you, are you okay?" I smiled at the sincerity in his voice.

"I'm fine, looks like my special energy healed me completely. Fury said it took all of a minute for my skin to reform." I looked down at the flawless skin of my arm. I'd never gotten scars before, it was something I just came to except. All those beatings should have left a mark, but I dodged those bullets quite easily.

"You really are a superhuman aren't you? I have to see this healing thing sometime." I giggled.

"You want to hurt me Tony?"

"Never, maybe just a small prick on the finger at some point…" I laughed this time.

"So I'm guessing this isn't for just a friendly chat right? What's up?" Tony asked curiously. I sighed, not really sure how to explain my interest in the current mission.

"I'm working with SHIELD on a mission I found of interest." It was essentially all I could say at this point. It was the truth, just not the whole truth. I didn't know how much Tony would actually believe anyway.

"Being Fury's lapdog? That's not your style Nai." I frowned at both the name and the implication.

"I'm not helping because he wants me to, I'm helping because I'm interested. A hammer called Mjolnir crashed into the desert in New Mexico. It looks just like the legendary Norse hammer held by the god of thunder." There was silence for a few moments.

"You get a god and I get footage you understand?" I laughed out loud. Of course that's what Tony would say. Why was I so worried anyway? He'd seen some pretty weird stuff after all. Then again I was quite sure he was joking around at the same time.

"Alright deal." I grinned and looked around the back of the black car I was riding in. The air conditioner was turned way up and the leather seats were cool against my skin. I had opted for a pair of dark blue jean shorts and a ruffled black peasant shirt with off the shoulder sleeves. I'd even gone far enough as to wear my lime green Nikes. I was a Stark when it came to standing out.

"Be careful kid, just come back safe or I'll ream Fury's neck." My mouth twitched.

"As much fun reaming Fury would be I'll come back in one piece whether I agree with it or not." I ran my hands through the ponytail at the back of my head. The loose crimson curls looked more like waves even in the humidity.

"Love you Naia, always." I smiled.

"You too Tony, you too." With that I hung up. Coulson turned around in the front seat to face me. His face was lit up in a friendly smile.

"You sure about this? I don't know anything about your training…" I raised a hand, showing off the glimmer of my silver thumb band.

"No problems Phil, I can take care of myself if I need to." He nodded and turned back around. The driver was someone I didn't know, another agent I assumed. All of the agents on this mission were the lower end people who regulated more than anything else. From what I understood, I was the only so called superhuman here. It was uncomfortable, but it seemed that no one expected anymore from me than from anyone else which helped my nerves a good bit. I had chosen to ride with Coulson since I was familiar with him if only just a little. Natasha had promised to keep an eye on Tony and Pepper for me as long as I kept an eye out for Hawkeye who I had yet to meet.

We pulled over the car in the middle of the desert. A good number of people were crowded around a large crater. I slipped out of the car carefully. The other agents had already moved out, making the rednecks leave. Most of them looked highly disappointed as the government agents started setting up perimeters around the site. I put on a pair of plain black sunglasses that had at one point belonged to Tony.

"The tents will go up in a matter of minutes sir." One of the agents appeared to report. I walked away from the cars and into the crater. The last of the civilians were packing up and leaving the premises. Many of their eyes followed me as I approached the extremely obvious silver hammer sticking out of the ground. It was stuck in a pillar of hardened sand, the actual blunt end bent at an angle. The handle was covered in crisscrossed red leather that looked like it had been a bit worn with use. On either side of the hammer a beautiful celtic design ran around the edges. I touched the symbols, the metal cool beneath my fingers.

"Mjolnir, it's a true pleasure." I whispered. The hammer tingled under my soft touches. It was most likely the lightning that the legendary weapon was said to control. I felt the beauty of the object just by looking upon it. As I ran my index finger over the center of the metal, a new symbol appeared. The joined three celtic rings that was used as a symbol for witchcraft in television shows was etched into the body. A whisper rose from the weapon, a ghost of the magic that was placed upon it.

"What do you think Agent Stark?" Coulson had come to stand next to me.

"I think I was right to come along."

Loki POV

To a simple mind, the path would have been clear, but to Loki it was all the more complicated. Odin had fallen into the Odin sleep, Naiira had disappeared from his mind, and now his mother had handed him the spear of the All-Father. He had never wanted to be king, which was supposed to be Thor's job. Yet this brought new opportunities to his plate. Perhaps it could be possible to work out a way to benefit from this madness.

True, Loki had provoked Thor to go to Jotunheim and true he had expected him to be punished, but banishment had been a bit much. Then his own trick had turned sour after learning he himself was the monster that all Asgardians hated and feared. It really did make sense now that he fully thought about it. Thor hadn't known, he couldn't trick himself otherwise, but he had allowed Loki to stand in his shadow for years. His mother and father knew, it was why they had treated him differently.

It didn't matter that they said they loved him, he wasn't worthy of that love. He was a monster, a disgusting creature that deserved to be put down. And yet, when faced with his new found form Naiira had told him he was beautiful. The entire thought alone had baffled him. Jotuns were horrible, she couldn't know that, couldn't see what he could do. He convinced himself that if she knew their nature, his true nature, that she would hate him just like everyone else.

He was consumed by this self loathing, hoping to prove himself now more than ever. He sat and waved a hand over the shadows. A smoky form appeared, taking on the shape and color of the one person he thought was innocent in the whole matter.

"Naiira, why do you fascinate me so? There is a weakness I feel for you. Your kindness is like a beacon to this dark prince. If only I was worthy…" He felt his heart harden at his own words. The smoky hologram of the young mortal pressed a hand to his cheek. She was smiling beautifully, the slight line of the plump lips visible in a bright pink. Loki found himself suddenly hating her. If it wasn't for this woman he would at least be logical about things. He would be alone as usual, something he was used to. Yet now he had a friend, someone he didn't wish to lose. How dare that female ever try to break the ice around his Jotun heart. The form before him wavered at his anger. He waved his hand and the smoke disappeared. Yet her image was burned into his retinas.

Loki looked down at the magic glass before him. He had found Mjolnir and in return found her as well. She was gracefully running her fingers over the hammer, a rather determined look on her features. He gripped his throne angrily. She was even more beautiful to behold with his own eyes instead of his minds eye. He would continue with his plan and then he would finally get the attention he rightly deserved. It wouldn't just be from his family however, he would catch Naiira's attention as well.

Regular POV

I found a way to break off from Coulson just long enough to get a cup of coffee in the tiny little café in the even tinier town. This place was in the middle of bum fuck nowhere. Literally guys, the town was surrounded by miles of desert. Figures something weird would happen in a place like this. The waitress behind the counter kept looking towards the door, her face anxious. In fact, a good few patrons were doing the same thing.

"Excuse me?" The woman jumped, almost dropping the coffee cup she was drying.

"Oh yes miss?" Her thin voice was strained.

"Why is everyone looking at the exit?" She blinked a few times.

"Some fella started trouble earlier. We just makin sure he don't come back in." One of the men sitting in a booth mentioned. He was wearing a trucker cap and plaid flannel shirt.

"What did this man look like exactly?" The waitress blushed.

"Oh, well he was quite large with long blond hair and blue eyes." She was fidgeting uncomfortably as her face heated up. I paid for the coffee and left. It was a long shot, but maybe this would lead to something more. He would probably be long gone by now, but it was worth a try. I asked a few people and they told me he had been seen with "those researchers using the old drive thru." The town was tiny, it wasn't hard to find the building in which they were referring.

Yet when I got there no one was home….so I let myself in. Yeah I could do that, I had clearance if not just entry level so I could break and enter without problems. The whole place was gutted, a bunch of loose wires were scattered about along with a good few blank sheets of printer paper. Some sort of lab to be this horribly equipped. I noticed a good few stains from when the place was a drive thru restaurant and even a few less dusty spaces of floor. There had probably been some sort of equipment, but it was quite gone now. I wondered if they had moved out or something to that effect.

"Turn around slowly and no funny business, I have a Taser!" I slowly raised my hands as a sign of surrender. As I turned I assessed the woman holding out a black plastic Taser. She was about my height with long dark brown hair that waved down the back of her black coat. She wore a hat to match, flat and almost low enough to sit on her black rimmed glasses. Those inquisitive blue eyes were watching me warily.

"I mean you no harm, not like you could really Taser me if I did." I faced her fully, smiling brightly. She looked horribly confused.

"There's nothing left to steal if that's what you're after." She glanced at the patch on my skin tight sleeve. So S.H.I.E.L.D had taken all of the equipment in this lab. Somehow that wasn't too surprising.

"I'm new, wouldn't know about that. I'm looking for a large blond fellow. Probably amazingly gorgeous, bright blue eyes, sound familiar?" I asked. From the hesitation I could tell she knew him if not where he was.

"What do you want with him?" She raised an eyebrow.

"I just want to ask him some questions, probably personal ones but still." I clicked my tongue as she poised her finger over the Taser button. In theory it shouldn't effect me, but to be honest I wasn't really sure. Maybe now would be a good time to test how I held up against the energy of electricity. She fired and the prongs stuck to my loose black shirt. I felt absolutely nothing, but the fact that the slight clicking noise was coming from the gun meant that electricity was running into my body. The girl looked amazed, fear flashing in those more delicate eyes. I pulled the prongs off and walked forward. She started backing up, practically tripping over an empty drawer.

"Don't tell me you're a god too?" I chuckled.

"Not to my knowledge, just a very special person. Now about that man…" I reached out my hand, a smile still on my face.

"By the way, my name is Naiira Stark, sorry if I freaked you out too bad." She looked rather incredulous and was reluctant to shake my hand.

"Darcy." Was all she said. I retracted my hand.

"Pleasure Darcy, now if you could point me in the right direction I'll be on my way." She shook her head.

"Even if I knew where he was right now I wouldn't tell you." I pursed my lips.

"But he does insist his name is Thor right?" Her eyes twinkled.

"You know something I don't?" I found myself laughing. Yeah I did, the guy was telling the truth.

!

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!

Darcy actually started following me around for some reason or another. It seemed her fear had turned to fascination. She kept looking at me like I'd spontaneously combust at any moment. I didn't mind too much, mostly I just ignored her. Although, I had insisted on staying until Thor turned up. I'm pretty sure my intentions were still being questioned, but I doubted I could hurt him even if I wanted to.

While we were talking it had turned dark, rain beginning to pour down upon the dry sand of the desert.

We made tea and Darcy told me her general understanding of the research that Jane and Dr. Selvig were doing. She was a political science student who was interning with them. I was told not to ask why, but I did wonder what she was doing interning in Astrophysics. Through my second cup of tea a knock came on the door. Coulson was smiling. Figures I wouldn't be able to sneak away for too long.

"Well, there's my baby sitter. It seems we shall have to cut this short." I had been hoping to wait for Thor to return, but it didn't look like that would be happening. I bid Darcy goodbye and left with Coulson. He was grinning from ear to ear. He held up a black umbrella that covered us both as we walked out into the downpour.

"It seems we may have captured someone interesting." I raised an eyebrow.

"Oh?"

"He tried to take the hammer, looked positively depressed when it wouldn't get out of the mud." I grinned, looks like this would work out after all.

!

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It was raining outside when we got back to the base. The place was a mess with people running about.

"He's waiting in the interrogation room Agent Coulson." I watched as the agent came forward. He wore mostly black, but his top had some sort of purple stripes on it. A quiver of arrows was strapped to his back, his bow still in his hands. His dark brown hair was spiky, his matching eyes critical as he watched me.

"Ah you haven't met Agent Barton yet have you Naiira?" I smiled and gripped the newcomers hand. He showed no emotion as we greeted one another.

"Most people call me Hawkeye." He huffed. His gruff voice was quite attractive actually.

"Naiira Stark. Forgive me, but I have heard of you from Natasha." He looked slightly interested, but didn't say anything on the subject.

"Another Stark? Sounds like trouble to me." I grinned.

"Of course, but what would you do without us?" Hawkeye grumbled something under his breath, but I ignored it. Coulson cleared his throat just as Hawkeye released his grip on my hand. I could still feel the firm pressure that he had used on my fingers.

"Well then, I think you should go on Naiira. I need to talk to Agent Barton so you can go rest if you want." I smirked. I had no intention of going to my room though I nodded and walked off into the make shift plastic home. A bunch of the men were talking about the intruder they had taken into custody, the one in the only holding cell. I walked in that direction seeing only two guards. No way they would let me get through. From here though, I could see through the one-way glass. He was indeed a large fellow, his rippling muscles barely contained by that tight shirt. His wavy blond hair was wet, his matching beard caked with a bit of mud. His icy blue eyes were focused on the floor.

"Excuse me, I've been told to watch the prisoner for a while." It was worth a try. The guards looked at one another.

"We weren't told about any shift changes." One gruffly muttered. I smirked, it was time to see if I could lie like an expert.

"Oh? Well I was told by the higher ups that since he took out so many agents it would be safer to have me watch him. It's mostly for your own safety if he decides to try and escape." The guards looked a little skeptical.

"Are you sure?" I shrugged.

"I just get the orders and follow like everyone else." One of the men laughed.

"Yeah tell me about it. Watch him really carefully will you?" I nodded, saluting them both as they headed out. Maybe Loki was beginning to rub off on me much quicker than expected.

I opened the cell and walked in. The man looked up as I entered. The lightning behind those eyes was almost entirely obvious, to me anyway.

"Do pardon the intrusion Thor, but I need to ask you a few things before the agents ruin it." I closed the door and sent a shot of energy through the keypad. It short circuited, no one would get in here for a little while at least. That glass was thick enough to stop a barrage of machine gun bullets. He looked curious, not fearful like most people would be.

"How do you know me?" He asked. His deep voice boomed a bit in the small space. I let a grin break onto my face and he seemed to flinch.

"I've heard of you a few times. My name is Naiira Stark and I know your brother." Thor's eyes burned into my own. He was curious now.

"Naiira, I've heard that name. My brother has whispered it in his sleep." He looked cautious, but still not afraid. His eyes trailed my body, but the gaze was not wholly uncomfortable. Loki would have murdered me if he were still able to read my thoughts.

"I have telepathic abilities and Loki contacted me. Though, he broke the contact a while ago…" I didn't know how much I should have said, so I kept his break down a secret.

"So you know, who I really am and believe it." I smiled and nodded.

"I suppose you could say I'm an ally." I muttered. There was a pounding on the door. Here I thought it might be at least a few more moments before anyone showed up again. Guess those guards weren't horribly stupid. Time was short, I would have to be a bit more forceful. I gracefully moved to his side and bent before him. The banging was coming harder now.

"Listen to me Thor, something is wrong with Loki. The way he left…it awoke an anger in me. I need your help, I want to help him." He looked confused, so he didn't know.

"I'm not sure as to what you refer Lady Naiira." I shook my head.

"You wouldn't, Loki said you tended to stay oblivious of any problems that weren't your own. Forgive me if that insults you, but I can't do this without you. He's your brother, if you knew he wasn't okay you'd do most anything for him right?" The door was being pushed open. Thor's eyes glistened with unshed tears.

"Yes."


	10. Chapter 10

Loki appeared as a shadow to his brother, the projection of his thoughts placed upon the mortal world. Thor looked up, his gaze sad. The pity Loki might have felt was replaced by hate and disgust.

"Brother…" Thor whispered. Loki tensed a bit at the endearing comment. He didn't particularly like it.

"I had to see you." It was all he really wanted to say for it was truth laced in the ever familiar lies. Thor's eyes softened.

"What's happened? Is it Jotunheim? Let me explain to father…"

"Father is dead." Loki let out a hiss and the room went silent. The mighty Thor's face fell, his eyes so utterly disbelieving in the words that had been said. He thought of Naiira's face when she discovered his heritage, a slight confusion that was mirrored on his brother's face.

"What?" The voice was no longer strong as it usually was. The slight croak caused by the break almost made Loki feel bad for his lies…almost. If Thor was not so naïve, he might have been less inclined to continue.

"Your banishment, the threat of new war…it was just too much for him to bear. You mustn't blame yourself. We all loved him, especially you. I tried to tell him so, but he wouldn't listen. It was so cruel of him to cast you out, to place the hammer within your reach knowing you could never lift it." Thor looked absolutely miserable. His eyes had fallen to the floor.

"The burden of the throne has fallen to me now." Thor's head shot back up. This statement was wholly true. His station was a burden he didn't want to bear. A spark of hope appeared in the god's eyes as Loki spoke those words.

"Can I come home?" Somewhere in the vast abyss of Loki's wounded heart, a slight pain rose at those words. This man had been his brother. Thor was vain, foolish, and more muscle than brains but that didn't mean Loki hadn't loved him just as he had the rest of his family. The chill of his newfound resentment covered the wound with indifference.

"The truce with Jotenheim is conditional upon your exile." That spark was snuffed out, the dead blue eyes watching Loki carefully. He hated himself, hated his brother, and hated the situation he had been pressed into.

"Yes but…couldn't we find a way…?

"Mother has forbidden your return." Loki cut him off. That was the final nail in the coffin. The pain now was not so easily quelled.

"This is goodbye brother, I'm so sorry." He meant it no matter how much he wanted to hate the man who had taken all of his glory throughout their lives. A pain in his heart throbbed deeper than he could have imagined. This wasn't just some silly joke like he had done so many times before. This was absolute, a true and complete end if this plan was to work. Loki almost regretted having to do this.

"No, I am sorry brother. Thank you for coming here." Loki was about to end it there, but Thor spoke again.

"Perhaps even from here I might be able to help you." That statement made Loki tense up in anger. What in the world was he talking about?

"Excuse me?" Loki sneered, allowing his calm façade to fall if only for a few moments.

"I have met her brother, she says you are in trouble. I intend to help her." He knew who Thor spoke of, his whole body beginning to shake. Naiira, why hadn't he seen that she had visited his brother? Something in the action spoke volumes to him. She was afraid for him, was trying to help him with an imaginary problem. No, he was fine and his plan would fix everything.

"She is mistaken. I have no troubles." Thor was about to speak again, but the door opened. They whispered goodbyes to one another as Loki disappeared in a wisp of smoke.

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I sat looking down at the hammer. It's energy was buzzing through the whole compound and made a lot of the equipment malfunction. The agents kept asking why, which seemed like such a stupid question to me. I found myself hating most other humans so this bunch was no exception. They moved around like worker bees in a hive and it just drove me nuts.

Hawkeye was watching from a higher post just inside the plastic. It was pretty obvious how he got his name. I even heard a bunch of people call the higher post the "Hawk's nest."

"Ms. Stark, you have someone here to see you." I raised an eyebrow and followed the agent out to find a rather twitchy looking Darcy. She seemed horribly uncomfortable being around this area in general.

"Oh, hello again Darcy." She was wearing a large coat that practically swallowed her. I was alright though, able to allocate energy to different areas for warmth. It was a power I had been training myself to do for some time now.

"Yo…so you said you wanted to know more about the research right?" I was confused until I noticed the sparkle in her eyes. She was lying for the sake of the agent standing next to me. I guess she figured I'd get in trouble if I was trying to move about without purpose.

"Yeah, I'd like that. You'll let me meet Jane right?" Darcy smiled and nodded. The agent looked rather skeptical, but didn't say anything as I moved to the girl's side.

"Tell Coulson I'm out with a friend if he asks." I didn't even wait for a response as I walked off with Darcy. She was grinning from ear to ear.

"I will introduce you to Jane, she'll be fascinated by you I'm sure. Though Thor has that draw of being a hot male and all." I giggled and nodded.

"Yes, I assume there is more reason for this trip." She nodded.

"Thor asked that we get you since Dr. Selvig already retrieved him." I raised an eyebrow. They let Thor go? That was a strange development, but at the same time might have been a better idea. I had a feeling he wouldn't tell the agents anything. These huge organizations weren't very good at getting information unless torture was involved. I liked the Loki method, trickery and deceit to win my prize. It usually worked too which had better output than the torture method anyway.

"He asked for me?" So the guy believed me when he barely knew my name. What a strange fellow. Loki had said something before about him being a bit thick when it came to most anything.

"Yeah, you guys friends or something?"

"Or something." I walked with her to a large van where I saw two men waiting. The first was Thor, looking so much larger standing up compared to when I had seen him sitting down before. The second was an older man with salt and pepper hair. His beard was mostly scruff of the same color. His kind dark hazel eyes turned to face us as we got closer. The plain blue button up shirt looked rumpled as if he hadn't washed it in a good while and the jeans hung a little below the belt line due to the slight belly.

"Naiira Stark I suppose?" The older man spoke. Thor was silent, he looked horribly upset.

"Yes and you would be?" We shook hands quickly. The man smiled brightly, seeming a bit more excited than he should have been. He was probably faking. The black circles under his eyes mirrored his stress levels, which I imagined were rather high. Then again if I had just met a god I might be a bit stressed out too depending on how open my mind was.

"Dr. Eric Selvig, but please call me Eric if you don't mind." I nodded in agreement. I turned to Thor who grinned rather weakly at me. The action made him look even more pained than a normal person. He was just so huge. I felt like the guy towered over me. If his arms wrapped around me he might crush me to pieces. The fact that he looked pained was just crazy since it seemed like nothing could touch him. Even after all of that rain too, his hair looked magnificent.

"So where are we headed?" I asked as we all climbed into the van. Thor got in the front seat while Dr. Selvig sat behind the wheel of the drivers seat. Darcy and I clambered into the back.

"I'm dropping you two off for now. There are some things I need to speak to "Thor" about." So he didn't actually believe the whole god thing. It wasn't a surprise. He was a scientist after all, but why couldn't gods be real as well as science being correct? We drove in silence out of the larger desert. I kept my eyes on Thor the whole time which seemed to make Darcy horribly uncomfortable. We got dropped off just outside the town next to a rather nice looking RV. The van left in a hurry as a woman came out of the lighted mobile home.

"What was he in such a hurry for?" The woman asked. Darcy shrugged.

"No clue, said he had something to do. This is Naiira Stark by the way. You know, the second one I tazed?" I giggled as the woman freaked out. I couldn't see her very well in the dark.

"Geez Darcy, do you really have that much trouble keeping the tazer away?" She asked rather exasperated.

"I'm so sorry, is there anything I can do for you?" She asked me. I chuckled.

"It's fine really, didn't actually feel it. I could use some tea though, haven't had any for a few hours. I just love tea." The woman nodded and ushered us into the RV. The lights were on so it was easier for me to see the her. She had long dirty blond hair that was quite straight. Her bright chocolate eyes were gleaming in a mixture of apprehension and welcome. I wanted to tell her it was really fine, but that probably wouldn't help.

"Oh where are my manners. I'm Jane Foster. Sorry about all this, Darcy can be a bit excitable sometimes." The latter glared at Jane, but said nothing. The loose clothing Jane wore reminded me of what Dr. Selvig had on. In fact, she might have been wearing his clothes seeing as the top was at least a size or two bigger than her.

"It's okay really and you can call me Naiira if you want." I smiled at her and she seemed to relax.

"Alright, well Naiira then, what brings you here?" Darcy spoke up then.

"She was looking for our resident god." Jane looked rather intrigued for a few moments as she continued preparing us all some tea.

"Oh? So you think he's telling the truth?" She asked. I smiled.

"I don't need to think, I know quite well. I need his help with something." Jane looked a bit confused.

"What do you need his help for?" I smiled, but said nothing. I didn't think that Loki would appreciate it as much if I told everyone, especially those I didn't know.

"I'm afraid I'm not at liberty say." Jane nodded.

"It have something to do with where he comes from?" Darcy asked. I nodded, that much information was okay.

"Then it might concern us. You see, we are out here to study the Einstein-Rosen bridge phenomena that have been appearing." Jane explained. I was curious.

"Can you explain why you think there is a wormhole type space in the middle of New Mexican desert?" I asked and Darcy smirked.

"Well, we were studying lighting storms in the area and the readings we acquired were highly suspect. Dr. Selvig and myself came out and well we were studying a certain storm that looked to be a forming tornado…"

"And boom! Jane hit a really hot blond guy out of nowhere." Darcy clapped her hands together for effect.

"So, let me get this straight. You drove out towards what you thought was a tornado and happened to literally run into Thor?" I asked. Jane nodded.

"Yeah, we drove into the mist to get a better reading and he just appeared out of nowhere. We found a really intricate pattern on the ground too." I raised an eyebrow. Darcy took out her phone and scrolled down to her pictures, throwing me the device. The long black curves and lines made a celtic pattern that looked pretty familiar.

"This is a series of celtic knots, a very common one if I'm not mistaken. I'd have to see it all to tell but it looks like a series of Dara knots." Jane looked utterly confused and I couldn't help but laugh.

"Celtic stuff has types?" Darcy asked incredulously. I nodded.

"Yeah, in theory anyway. Dara knots or doire knots mean oak tree. It was thought that they represented branches to other worlds like Asgard and the other branches of Yggdrasil. If Thor was at the epicenter of that "storm" then the Einstein-Rosen bridge you are looking for might be more than it appears to be." Darcy had her mouth hanging open while Jane set out the tea. She still looked really confused.

"Um…what?" She muttered. I sighed.

"It's celtic history, you know, old Irish. I've always been really interested in that stuff. I know a good bit of norse mythology too, but it seems most of that could be wrong." Jane sat down across from me as Darcy took her phone back.

"Would you look at the time! I gotta get back into town ladies. You don't mind staying here until Dr. Selvig can take you back do you Naiira?" I was okay with talking to Jane for a while so I agreed. Darcy chugged the rest of her tea, thanked Jane and was gone.

"You believe him don't you Jane?" I asked. She practically jumped out of her skin. The tea went flying all over the table…and my clothes.

"Oh geez I'm so sorry! Crap I really didn't mean to hurt you I swear!" This lady was really jumpy when it came to Thor. The blush on her cheeks was quite prominent. I was pretty sure it was a mixture of embarrassment about spilling the tea and embarrassment about being called out on anything pertaining to Thor. I was beginning to feel the tea seeping into my clothes now. I'd get pretty sticky in a moment.

"Do you think I could get something else to wear?" I asked curiously.

"Oh of course! I'll um…"

"Tell me where the clothes are and you can clean the tea." I suggested. She showed me a small closet just next to the bunk beds in the back. The RV was not large, it was actually quite small. One step out of the kitchen got me to the living room and a few more steps to get to the bunks in the back. I picked out a pair of jeans and a solid blue long sleeved top before changing in the small bedroom.

"You do believe him don't you Jane?" I called as I changed, running the sink in the tiny bathroom to mop the stickiness from my skin.

"I'm not really sure what to believe. I mean he seems so invested in the idea after all." She called back.

"But you do like him don't you?" There was a smashing noise as Jane dropped something. I let a wide grin grow on my face.

"H-How….?"

"It's quite obvious as it is. Every time he's mentioned you get all flustered. It's rather cute really." I snickered as I came out of the back. Jane's clothes fit me rather well except for the fact that I had a larger chest than her, it made the shirt a good bit tighter. I walked back out into the living area as Jane began picking up the pieces of the plate she had apparently dropped. I moved to help her. A piece of glass cut my palm. Jane tried to apologize, but I stopped her, showing her the skin. It glowed blue before closing on its own.

"You aren't normal are you?" It was a simple question really and from the look on her face I could tell it wasn't supposed to be a cruel one. I smiled.

"I think you'll find that not everything is always as it seems."

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I waited up with Jane until Dr. Selvig came back…slung over Thor's shoulder. He was horribly drunk while Thor seemed to be completely sober. I was sure gods were immune to most of the substances we used here for our own pleasure. Come to think of it, I never talked to Loki about alcohol in Asgard before.

The thought in itself made me utterly upset. There was so much I didn't know about the god of mischief, so much that I still didn't understand. I would have preferred to speak with him of the whole affair, but it was looking like I'd have to learn information from Thor instead. After dumping Dr. Selvig on the bed he ended up walking outside with Jane though. She was teaching him to light a fire as I walked out to join them. I'd let them have their privacy…right after I got some information from Thor anyway.

"Do you mind if I borrow the resident god for a few moments?" I asked Jane. She shook her head, but I could see a bit of resentment in her eyes. Perhaps I would have to tell her at some point that I was in no way interested in Thor. Said male didn't seem to notice though. He looked entirely determined as we walked away from Jane. Once out of earshot he began the conversation.

"My brother, you said he found you through the mind speech yes?" He asked. I nodded, perhaps we could both learn a good few things from one another.

"Yes." I whispered for good measure.

"Tell me, what do you mean that he is in trouble?" That was what I was waiting for. I had thought about how much I could tell him, how much I was allowed to share before I broke Loki's trust.

"First, what are you doing on Earth exactly? I don't imagine it's for pleasure if you are unable to wield Mjolnir." The god of lightning looked rather amazed.

"You know much for a mortal. Yes, I was banished by my father. I was a fool, I understand that now. It was my coronation, the day I would become the ruler of Asgard. A small band of Jotun broke into the private store and killed the guards in attempts to steal the ancient casket of winters, their power source taken from them in the war between my people and theirs. Though they failed I was furious. Without thinking I chose to lead my brother and our friends on a fruitless trip to Jotenheim, their home. We met Laufey, the king of their people who allowed us leave, but I took no heed and started battle. It caused one of my friends to get hurt and the threat of war to be brought upon Asgard. My father stripped me of my power, my position, and my weapon until I learned to be worthy of these gifts. That is why I am here." I was happy to have the long explanation so I was a bit caught up.

"Tell me, how did Loki act after your trip?" I asked curiously. Thor looked thoughtful for a few moments.

"I was not there for long before father pushed me through the bifrost. I had no time to see his reaction, only his worry." I understood, but wished he had more than that, it would take more than this to help Loki at all.

"Loki and I had mental contact for a good few months. He taught me how to use my telepathic abilities, how to control the energy powers I have always had. He said our magick reacted to the presence of the other, he was fascinated by it. We were close I guess, I'm not quite sure. I suppose it was after you were banished, I can't say for sure, but he suddenly broke down and it caused me to break the connection. I haven't been able to contact him since. The only thing I have to go on are Jotun and I don't even know what they are." Thor didn't look upset, in fact he looked slightly understanding.

"He has been known to throw tantrums at times. I was unable to understand him, perhaps that is why he has come to resent me. He came to me today and told me there was no hope of me coming home, my father has died and he has become king. I do not understand this, it is happening so quickly." The fact that he was telling me all this alone meant he trusted way too easily. I was alright with that though, Loki had said Thor was a bit naïve and the fact that I knew Loki might have helped his trust in me. I needed to know more, there had to be something that would help me figure this whole thing out.

"Can you tell me about the Jotun and their world, anything you have?" Thor nodded. I figured Jane was getting frustrated, but I couldn't make this quick. I decided to tell her I had no interest in Thor as soon as I made my way back over to the campfire.

"The Jotun are a race of frost giants almost two times the size of an Asgardian. All of them have blue skin with unique scarred markers for each individual. Their eyes are bright red, the color of blood. Their touch is like ice, it causes frost burns even for Asgardians if touched in anyway. Their skin is hard like metal, their power immense and their magical abilities tend to be quite formidable as well. They have always hated us as we have hated them. My father led a war of the beasts straight into the heart of Jotunheim. He took the cask of winters which contains the power of the cold. It has been in my fathers possession ever since. This is all I know of them." They were foul creatures to be hated and feared, yes that sounded about right. Then the form Loki had showed me was indeed that of a frost giant, but then why was he Asgardian size? I began to see why he was so upset. He was stuck between two worlds, the one he had always known and the one he was born into. That helped me understand him if only just a little.

"That bifrost, can humans travel it?" He raised an eyebrow.

"You wish to travel it? Mortals are forbidden from using the bifrost and Heimdall refuses to answer me when I call for his aid." Heimdall was the bridge keeper in Norse mythology, so perhaps it was the same in this case as well.

"He guards the bifrost right? That's what the norse mythology here says." Thor nodded.

"Yes, he sees all realms and all things." I sighed and thought about it. What was I supposed to do when he was realms away?

"Pardon my intrusion my lady, but what exactly is your interest in my brother?" I felt my face light up, but in the dark it didn't seem too obvious.

"I suppose I don't really know." It was true. I wasn't entirely sure what my interest was. We connected on a totally different plane of existence. He had touched my mind as I had touched his. Things that were never said had been expressed simply through contact of our thoughts. I felt his anger, his frustration, and even his fear. It was the most intimate act I had ever been in and most humans never got to experience it. In many ways he was bare before my eyes as I was before him. That sort of connection shouldn't have been so easily broken. Perhaps that was why, I needed to know what this meant because I had never experienced feelings like this before.

"Are you alright?" I hadn't even noticed I had started staring off into space. Thor was looking upon with me concern.

"I'm fine, sorry I was just thinking. Let's get back to Jane." I don't think I could have continued the conversation without saying something stupid anyway. Thor walked over to the fire where Jane was sitting. I briefly moved to her side and whispered in her ear that I had no romantic interest in Thor. She seemed to relax at that. I walked out of range of them, away from their eyes and cried.

It was the first time in years I had really cried this hard. Sobs racked my body in waves, the pain radiating from my heart seemingly transcending anything I had felt before. I wanted to scream, I wanted to be so loud that they could hear me on Asgard, but most of all I wanted him to hear the pain he was causing me. The pain reached a peak and I couldn't hold it in, I shot off into the air, my clothes burning off as I transformed. When I reached a decent height I screamed, the sound almost echoing across the empty space and ascending to die in the heavens.


	11. Chapter 11

The next few days blurred together. I talked to Thor some, but he was attached to Jane by the hip which was understandable. I spent a good amount of time with Darcy and Dr. Selvig who was fascinated by my powers. The night I had gone into space to scream, I had noticed something strange. When I transformed my form kept flickering before it ignited, it was something that had never happened before. Dr. Selvig was trying to figure out what it meant even if he knew nothing about how my body worked. Since then I had tried to transform again, but I couldn't and I didn't understand why. Perhaps extreme emotions suppressed my abilities?

I hadn't been the best person to be around when I hung out with Darcy. She seemed to notice my discomfort and asked about it often, but I told her nothing. We were just leaving for another day of walking aimlessly around the small New Mexican desert when Thor stopped us.

"I would like to request Lady Naiira's company today Darcy." Darcy bowed dramatically.

"Yeah sure I guess." Thor took my arm and we began a long trek into the desert.

"So, was there something you wanted from me?" I asked curiously. He shook his magnificent blond hair. I swear, was his hair just always that amazing?

"I simply wish to know more about you my lady. I have neglected you…"

"Due to your infatuation with Jane, really it's okay. I'd prefer if you called me Naiira though or Naia if you prefer." Thor didn't blush or anything, he just nodded in agreement. We moved next to the road that circled the tiny town.

"Naiira then, perhaps you could tell me something about yourself." Thor asked kindly. For some odd reason I kept reasoning that I'd see the god more often. Probably my hopeful mind thinking something would come from the connection Loki and I sort of had.

"Well, I'm pretty boring. Are you sure you want to know about me?" He nodded his ascent. I sighed and chose my words carefully.

"My favorite color is green. I have been told I have a tendency to get highly attached to people that aren't really liked. I also have really weird powers that heal me and cause me to transform into a glowing blue creature although that is on the fritz currently." Thor blinked.

"I suppose I should have been more specific." I smiled and nodded. He looked thoughtful for a few moments.

"Alright, well my favorite color is red. I attach myself to many different kinds of persons human and Asgardian alike. I also have what you would call "strange" powers yet it seems Mjolnir does not answer my voice any longer." I wasn't sure what to say really. Surely he was pained by his current position yet he did not complain. There was nothing changing in his gaze as he said these things.

"What was it like, growing up with Loki?" I asked. Thor smiled almost knowingly. My stomach twisted in knots. Maybe I should have kept that question to myself.

"He was always playing tricks on the gentry. Although in general my hot blooded impulse got us into trouble, he would always be able to lie our way out of any punishment. I suppose he may have a higher intellect than myself and therefore we never spoke much unless it was to fulfill some scheme of his. Perhaps if he is in trouble as you say, I may not have known him as well as I once thought." I felt sorry for Thor. It was obvious by the way he spoke that he cared deeply for his brother. I faced forward, watching the sand swirl in the light wind.

"I can't say he told me much, but for a time our minds were connected. He kept a wall up rather high, but at times I could see beyond the barrier. What I saw there was the closest I've ever gotten to a single living person. We could feel each other's emotions, see each other's past, even read each other's thoughts. They were only bits and pieces, but I felt happiness in those memories." I smiled as I imagined one of the short glimpses I had into Loki's mind. He had thought of his brother. The two young boys had been laughing and running down the hall from an infuriated guard. There was nothing but joy within that young boy's eyes.

"You care deeply for my brother don't you?" I felt my eyes tearing up.

"When I saw him last, I felt fear Thor. I felt his pain, the raw sadness that gripped his heart. It hurt so much that I still feel it when I think about it. He was so close and then he was ripped from me. I just can't understand." Thor rubbed his large thumbs beneath my eyes, wiping the tears away. He was smiling brightly.

"You feel a deeper bond with my brother than even I can comprehend. No matter how this ends I am glad that he met you." His tone was sincere. I was crying again, feeling the ache within my chest once more. Why was I being so weak over someone who probably didn't give a damn about me any more? Thor allowed me to press my small body into his arms. He let me cry as we talked. In this way we connected, a bond because of our mutual caring of Loki.

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Loki walked out of his chambers with the staff in hand. So far the plan was going as planned. He had gone to Jotunheim and Laufey had agreed to the conditions of his deal. Now he just had to wait, which was one of the most annoying things he had to do. For the past few days he had felt a certain ache within his heart that hadn't been there before. He had even heard an anguished scream that roused him from his sleep a few nights before. None of the guards had heard the noise, so he must have been the only one.

It had been Naiira, somehow he just knew it was her voice that echoed within his head. The staff of the king sent echoes down the hall as he walked. Used to the stealth, Loki was still getting used to having a presence that everyone noticed.

To be perfectly honest, he felt horrible. He wanted to give up this stupid façade and go back to his quiet non-existence with Thor making a scene as always. Things had changed so drastically and his mind was elsewhere anymore. He needed to prove himself worthy to his father, to his mother. Yet as he really thought about it, he found everything useless.

No, he just wouldn't think about it. This was for his future, to prove a point that had been ignored for so long.

"Darling, are you alright?" Frigga stood in all her splendor before him. She wore her dirty blond hair up with a few waves around her face. The velvet blue gown suited her, allowing those bright blue eyes to shine within her age worn skin. If there was one woman he loved in this world it was his mother, the lovely queen who had never done anything to wrong him. She had tried her best to give both brothers an equal place in her heart. Even if Odin was not his father, Loki could not bring himself to abandon the love of his mother.

"I'm just tired mother. I never knew the pains of being a king." There it came again, the sudden ache radiating from his chest. So it was not his mother. The pain was beginning to overwhelm him. He gasped aloud and fell to his knees.

"Loki!" Frigga rushed to his side, kneeling beside him and pressing her hand against his forehead. Her eyes held worry for her youngest son. Loki felt as if he was being ripped in half. What was happening to him? A wave of emotion overcame him and he found himself beginning to sob though he tried to hide it by coughing. He never cried, at least not in public. The feeling continued, becoming steadily stronger as he held it in. He leaned forward, the strain on his body causing him to heave the contents of his stomach all over the floor.

"Quickly! Get Freya!" He could hear Frigga yelling at someone. His vision was blurred, but it wasn't from the disorientation. There were tears streaming down his cheeks, the dam breaking as he screamed into floor. Frigga was trying to comfort him, her hands rubbing his back and face. His vision blacked for a few moments and he saw her. Naiira was standing in a desert, her small body shrouded in Thor's shadow. He was holding her close as she sobbed. He could even hear her voice.

"It hurts so much, why does it hurt like this?" Her voice was music to his ears even if there was a great amount of pain in her tone. He felt his heart beating faster, his body shivering as he watched. He reached out but couldn't touch her. That was how it would always be, he would never be able to reach her from where he was.

His view once again came to be the vomit stained floor of the Asgardian hall. Loki's breathing was shallow, he literally gulped up the air.

"Loki, Loki speak to me." Frigga whispered with a comforting voice. He gazed up at her. She looked horribly worried and confused.

"Forgive me mother, I don't know what came over me." The ache in his chest was still there if not much less prominent. He grabbed the fabric of his tunic and tried to brush it against his skin. There was heat coming from the area just above his heart. Frigga noticed the movement and tried to move his hand. She gasped at the sudden burst of heat. Her son had never been that warm before. It felt like Thor's skin, her husband's skin. Spots of light swam in his vision and every few moments he saw Naiira before his eyes. Was she transmitting her emotions through the broken channel?

He hadn't tried to reconnect since the last time they parted, finding it painful to even try. Her mind was protecting her, an energy of great proportion keeping him from doing anything. Yet just now he felt her pain, her fear, her infinite sadness and it made his heart break. He was slowly losing it because of that mortal.

"Come Loki, let's get you to Freya." She pulled him up and Loki waved his wrist. The vomit disappeared to leave nothing behind except the immaculate floor. He followed his mother carefully, tears still streaming from his eyes. What he wouldn't give to have this stop.

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I walked back with Thor following close behind. He kept his arm out to steady me since I was a little shaky. He may be a bit naïve but he was a really nice guy. My mind stayed on Loki the whole way back, my whole body shaking still as we got back. Jane took me carefully from Thor, looking up at him questioning him with her eyes. He grinned sheepishly.

Either way I think Jane got the hint not to ask about it. She fixed me some Earl Grey while I sat stuck in my thoughts. My phone started playing Radioactive and I picked it up. The caller ID declared that it was from Tony. I sighed and answered.

"Hello?" There was a snort from the other side of the phone.

"Well aren't we in a good mood. I've been calling the base but they say you aren't on site. Where the hell are you Naia?" He sounded a bit frustrated.

"You remember the god I was looking for? Well I found him." I looked in Thor's direction. He was trying to explain to Jane why I had come back crying rather heavily. Another voice came over the phone, it was Pepper.

"How are you Naia? Still holding up ok? You know Alex has been asking about you." I sighed, of course Alex had to randomly come back in the picture. We texted sometimes, but he had been rather distant since we broke up. I hadn't really thought about him in a while and that made me feel a bit more guilty.

"Tell him I'm fine because I am." It was sort of the truth. I couldn't tell anyone but Thor about the connection with Loki. They were brothers so the small amount of information I had was for Thor's ears only.

"I don't have pictures yet kid, you sure he's a god." I sighed and took the phone from my ear, pointing it at Thor and turning on my camera.

"Hey Thor say cheese." He turned and looked at me with an eyebrow raised. I took the picture and sent it to Tony.

"There happy now?" Pepper let out a whistle that made Tony grunt in dislike.

"He isn't all over you is he?" I laughed, watching Thor and Jane move farther into the kitchen.

"God's no, I think he's a bit more preoccupied with someone else." I smiled and leaned forward against the small slide in table.

"So I guess you two have kissed and made up right? When do I get sisters and brothers?" I was sure Pepper was as red as her hair at this point. Of course Tony didn't miss a beat, loving to tease Pepper anytime he got the chance.

"Pretty soon if she doesn't learn to keep her hands to herself." I smirked as a slapping sound came over the line. Tony let out a wail of pain before hissing.

"She leave?" I asked.

"Yeah, you better have something to pay for that slap. She hits pretty hard for a girl." He muttered. I snickered.

"Well you did deserve it." I agreed with Pepper after all. Tony was so fun to play with…wait a minute. I sounded like a certain god I knew. The pain returned.

"Naia, you sure you're okay?" Tony was someone who could usually read people even if he didn't look them straight in the face.

"No, I'm not, not even a little bit." I whispered. There was silence for a few moments.

"You wanna talk about it?" I sniffled a little, laughing through my tears.

"I know you don't understand it yet Tony, but I can't tell you right now. I want to share it with you, but I just can't. You see, there's someone's trust I'd be breaking if I said anything to you. Just trust that I'm handling it okay?" Tony sighed, his frustration obvious.

"Yeah sure Nai-Nai, but you call me when you need me understand?" I agreed and we hung up. Jane walked back in with Thor close behind.

"Who was that?" Jane asked. Thor looked rather fascinated by my phone.

"My father, he was just worried about me as usual." I took a good long sip of the tea in front of me. It made me feel infinitely better. So far chocolate covered cherries and a good cup of black tea were the only things that seemed to quell my emotions.

"Your father take an interest in Thor too?" Jane asked. I smiled weakly.

"Who wouldn't take an interest in a god? Thor here is pretty awesome." Thor's grin widened.

"Why thank you for the compliment Naiira, I'm am pleased you approve of me." I raised an eyebrow.

"Approve of you?" Jane giggled as she sat down across from me.

"Of course, isn't it important for the brother to accept his own brother's future bride?" I spit the tea all over her shirt. Thor began laughing heartily as Jane muttered her apologies. She kept saying it was only a joke.

"You told her?!" I asked. Thor shrugged. My lips fell into a frown. Of course he would tell the girl he was interested in, especially because he didn't have an explanation as to why I was crying unless he mentioned Loki.

"Was it wrong to do so?" Thor asked. Jane looked a bit nervous as I seemed to contemplate my answer.

"I suppose not as long as she keeps her mouth shut about it." Jane held out her hand.

"Sure, we can shake on it if you want." I took it, shaking and then gripping harder when she tried to pull away.

"I'm holding you to it, not even Tony knows about Loki." I hadn't really thought about it, but Jane was sort of in the same boat as me. It was obvious that she liked Thor romantically and I would admit to a crush on Loki. He was just so unlike anyone I had ever met here on Earth. I guess that's how Jane must have felt about Thor as well. We separated and the conversation turned to something else. We made lunch for the late risers. Dr. Selvig had been asleep while Darcy had apparently gone back to bed when Thor asked to walk with me.

We were sitting around the table together in the old fast food drive thru. Thor was bringing the plates of food out while Jane and I fixed the food. Since the others were just waking up we made pancakes, eggs, and sausage. I kept eating a little bit as we cooked so I wasn't really hungry by the time we all sat down.

That was probably why I noticed our guests first. There were four people that starting tapping on the window. Thor turned to look at them, his happiness evident on his face. Three were male of all different types. The first was stout with red hair and beard. His golden armor plated his entire body aside from a few places where you could see his red tunic beneath. His beady brown eyes twinkled. Honestly, the guy reminded me of a taller dwarf. The second looked Asian, his black hair pulled back into a tight ponytail and his black eyes fixed on Thor. His armor looked closer to that of a ninja, the black easily blending in with his tunic.

The third male looked like robin hood. His well-groomed blond hair and goatee were almost sparkling. His armor was silver with tunic and undergarments of a forest green. Like the dwarf's armor it had all sorts of intricate designs etched into the surface of the metal.

"Found you!" Even the red-head's voice sounded dwarfish. The woman standing there grinning made me and Jane look like ugly old hags. Her breastplate and respective other armor was silver with her arms and wrists visible. Her under tunic was made of black and red fabric. Her long and slick black hair was tied back in a high ponytail while her sparkling brown eyes watched us carefully. The flawless skin that was visible seemed to shine. I watched as Thor moved to open the door for them. They were Asgardians, that much was for sure. Dr. Selvig and Darcy looked starstruck. I smiled, they hadn't believed a word of what Thor said. Even Jane looked a good bit surprised. Oh yes, this was going to get interesting.


	12. Chapter 12

The four Asgardian's came in and hugged Thor in turn. I stepped forward while the others stayed behind. Thor clapped a hand on my shoulder, but I braced for the shock.

"My friends, these are my Midgardian comrades. There is Jane, Darcy, Eric Selvig, and this is Naiira." Thor pointed us all out to his friends. The four laid eyes on me last. The female gasped.

"I have seen this mortal before!" She pulled the robin hood type character to her side and made him look closer at me.

"By the all father, you are right! She was in the throne room." He agreed. Thor looked horribly confused.

"I'm sorry but…who are you?" I asked them. The male bowed gently, taking my hand and kissing it.

"Forgive me my Lady Naiira. I am Fandral. This is Volstagg and Hogun of Vanaheim. Together we are the warriors three." He explained. The female stepped forward and smiled.

"I am Lady Sif." She bowed.

"You have seen Naiira in the throne room? She has always been here." Thor said. Fandral shook his head.

"Not in person, she was merely a smoke illusion conjured by your brother." I felt my face heating up. Had Loki really made my likeness with magick? Thor looked amused.

"Truly? But then, is that why you have come? On orders from Loki?" Hogan shook his head.

"We have come to take you back." Sif smiled. Thor's face fell, his demeanor changing to one of sadness and concern.

"You know I can't, my father…is dead because of me." The anguish and torment in his voice was evident in that moment. His friends looked upon him in confusion and then recognition.

"Thor, your father lives." Thor looked confused then.

"But how? Loki said…"

"Loki lied to you Thor. Your father fell into the Odin sleep and has not awakened. Loki has been ruling since then with an iron hand. It is he who will not allow you to return home." Fandral explained. Thor looked even more puzzled at this new development. Sif took this moment to size me up.

"What's going on exactly?" I asked. Darcy, Dr. Selvig, and Jane were all listening carefully to the conversation. The group looked to Thor to see if answering my question would be wise. He looked down at me and I implored him with my eyes. Then I tried something I hadn't done before. I tried to send a message to Thor with my mind.

"I really have no clue, if Loki is doing something wrong then he needs to be stopped." Thor seemed to have gotten my message since his face was one of shock. He nodded gently in my direction and then faced Sif, giving his ascent to explain.

"After you left Loki started acting strange. He's always been so jealous of you Thor, we thought he might just be letting off steam by saying how vain and immature you were." Thor flinched, but only for a few moments. It seemed he understood even if it hurt him a good deal.

"Well, turns out Loki was in the treasure room when your father went to see him. The guards were all talking about it. They said the young prince called out for help and there Odin was on the floor already unconscious. They took him to your mother, but she told them it was from the strain of losing his eldest son. Then we go to talk to the king about allowing you to return and there's Loki all smug and sitting on your throne." I wasn't really liking where this conversation was going. It sounded like they were blaming Loki for everything. Of course, they were Thor's friends and most likely loyal only to the god of lightning above all else. I was beginning to understand why Loki didn't fit in with the Asgardians. He was usually above such petty gossip, but the whole thing was a bit suspicious. I could only wonder what was going on in his mind.

"He refused to allow you to return saying it would look bad if the current king overruled the last command of the former king. It was ridiculous." Volstagg spat. Now that was suspicious. Why would Loki wish to keep Thor away from Asgard?

"We think he is planning something so we have come to you Thor. Perhaps you might speak with him." Fandral seemed a bit more tolerable so far. They looked hopeful as Thor thought about it.

"How could I help? I am only a mortal now…" Sif shook her head.

"We shall back you up, but you are the only one who might talk sense into Loki." Sif told him. Thor nodded his agreement.

"As you wish my friends, I shall return and have words with my brother." He looked to me and pulled me closer to his side.

"We will take Naiira as well. She may be of some help." I felt my heart flutter at getting to actually meet Loki in person. We had only met in our minds, it wasn't real in the physical sense. Thor was offering me a chance to speak and touch Loki, the actual one. The thought alone made me nervous.

"Mortals aren't allowed to travel the bifrost without permission Thor." Sif looked skeptical of me. No doubt it was because she knew I had some tie to Loki. I didn't care what she thought, nothing would stop me now that the offer was made.

"I'm not really a normal mortal, so maybe it would be okay. Besides, you wanted to defy Loki's rule anyway, why not go all the way with it?" Sif scowled, but said nothing more. Fandral laughed, slapping Thor on the shoulder.

"She is indeed a persuasive maiden isn't she?" He asked, not really expecting an answer. Thor made a move for the door, all of us following close behind. Jane was beginning to look horribly desperate as they started walking out into the street.

"You all will stand back, Naiira and I alone shall speak with Loki." Thor commanded. I saw within him then a leadership I hadn't noticed before. He was determined, resolute, and unwavering. He carried himself like a prince, like a king.

"Um, I think someone beat us to the punch." Jane pointed out towards the desert where a shaft of rainbow light was connecting with the ground. So that was the bifrost, it was indeed well named as a rainbow bridge. The light disappeared and everything went silent.

"I'm not liking the way this is going Thor." I spoke nervously. He nodded as he stared out upon the area the bifrost had just fallen upon.

"Clear the streets, this may not end well." He muttered, the others fanning out to clear the streets and sidewalks to make it easier to move about.

"Jane, you and your friends are to leave as well." Jane looked horribly offended by that command.

"I beg your pardon, I'm staying here with you!" She yelled. Thor looked frustrated, but didn't bother arguing. At this point he probably knew her well enough to know that no matter what he said she would do what she wished. He sighed, hissing air out through his nose.

"Fine, then help vacate these people and come right back here." Thor instructed. Jane smiled triumphantly and ran off with Darcy and Selvig to get the various people out of the town. It would be anti-climactic if the sky had started to darken, but it stayed as blue as ever. In fact, the sun was still shining high above us, beating down hard on our backs. Thor looked determined as ever, never faltering despite how powerless he was. I found myself wishing I could be like that, having an unwavering determination when it came to any goal.

That was when I heard it, the clanking sound of metal and the slight rumbling of the ground beneath my feet. Something colossal was moving towards us, the sun reflecting off it's silver surface. It was a large creature made of metal, its body much larger than Thor's and with no face.

"What is that thing?" I asked. Thor didn't take his eyes off of it as he answered.

"The destroyer, he guards the private trove of the king." Did that mean Loki had sent it? A good number of people ran around, disappearing into cars and speeding out into the desert. The destroyer was slow, but it would be upon us soon enough. Sif, Volstagg, Fandral, and Hogun converged on us. Jane, Selvig, and Darcy came back, the former gripping Thor's arm in fright as the silver creature approached.

"I am not able to fight with you my friends, I am sorry." Fandral smiled.

"Do not worry Thor, we can handle this." He pulled out a pair of blades just a bit larger than daggers. Volstagg had a large broadsword, Hogun some kunai, and Sif a Lance with a shield of silver on one arm. Darcy was holding onto me.

"You can deflect attacks with that awesome energy power right?" I found myself smirking as she asked this.

"I'm afraid I've never tested it. I did tell you I was still a rookie right?" Darcy gulped audibly and we all started backing up. The warriors three along with Sif moved forward to attack. The rest of us retreated to the old fast food drive in that doubled as the lab. Jane kept her grip on Thor, her fear evident in those brown eyes.

I wasn't looking at the battle. Instead I was trying to understand why Loki would do something like this. Sure he had been a bit ruthless, but this was a bit much. That creature looked like it meant business whether it was sent to kill or retrieve. However, with a name like the destroyer it seemed rather evident what was going to happen. So why? I just couldn't see it of him. The man I had met, had gotten so used to was misunderstood and underappreciated yet I simply could not see him as a murderer. I glanced out towards the silver guardian just as it's face cavity opened up. There was no surprise in realizing that no person was wearing the armor. It was a shell given life most likely by the magick of Asgard. A flash of flames appeared within the face, it's light flickering off it's shell before shooting outwards and turning the sand below it's feet into glass. Sif barely managed to get out of the way, dodging behind a car that was left behind.

The destroyer was coming closer, looking back and forth. Volstagg ran across the street only to be tripped trying to avoid the flame shot from the face. I pulled away from Darcy and ran out into the street, not really knowing what the devil I was doing.

"You are so crazy, you have no idea." I whispered to myself as I ran. The destroyer was charging it's flame shot once more. I tried to ignite my body, anything yet it only flickered, searing off the sleeves of my long sleeved black V neck shirt. Knowing of nothing else to do, I skidded to a halt in front of Volstagg, my arms outstretched as I continued trying to spark the energy in my fingertips.

There was a scream from somewhere and I closed my eyes. Of course I was scared! I hadn't really thought about what I was doing, but I had seen someone in danger and if I could help it they would not be harmed. Maybe I would get lucky and fire wouldn't affect me either. I waited, but nothing happened. Looking up at the destroyer, it had stopped and was backing off. Loki was the one controlling this thing right?

"Loki! I know you can hear me! I'm begging you to stop this!" I screamed. The silver guardian stopped, it's face cavity closed as it turned to me once more. There was hesitation there, it seemed that the puppet master wasn't so sure of this.

"Please stop Loki, whatever is happening I can help you. Don't do something you'll regret." I called out. Another few moments of hesitation and the destroyer pulled his hand back. I was just able to hold up my arms as the silver arm came back with great force, smacking into the bone. The skin was ripped from my flesh and I could hear the snap of the bones in my forearm's as I was sent flying back. I screamed in pain as I landed hard in the dirt, skidding across the ground. The pain was beginning to worsen. My powers were so unstable, how was I supposed to know what would happen? Would I heal as I always did? It didn't seem as though that was the case. The blood from the ripped flesh of my arms was staining the sand crimson. I couldn't get up, couldn't move my arms in fear of making them feel even worse. A flicker of energy ran through my body. Had Loki actually ordered that attack? My heart was beginning to ache noticeably in canon with the pain in my arms. I wanted to curl up in a ball and die. There was another snapping noise and I whimpered. The bones were reforming beneath the skin, the energy driving it slight and leaving the skinned wounds. For a few more moments there was pain and then a simple stinging where the sand had touched the wounds.

My bones had healed, but I was still bleeding. A flurry of footsteps reached me as Fandral wrapped his arm around my waist. He pulled me to my feet, careful not to touch my arms and slung me over his shoulder. The destroyer was still moving, sending jets of fire towards anything that moved. Fandral handed me over to Hogun who carried me away from the battle. Volstagg was already waiting in the shadows, out of breath and looking a little worse for the wear but otherwise okay. Hogun dropped me off with the red-haired man and rejoined the fray.

"You really saved me back there, I hope you aren't harmed." He looked very apologetic as he watched me flex my arms. Yes, there was nothing broken now at least.

"I'd usually not even have a scratch by now, this is a bit different." I looked down at the sand gritted wounds on my forearms. Volstagg grinned.

"Everyone earns their first battle scars somewhere." A car rocketed up into the air, a side effect of the explosion shot at it from the destroyer. Volstagg and I ran behind one of the brick buildings for shelter. It seemed he had been hurt before and could no longer lend a hand. I tried to spark my hands, anything to stop the rampaging silver creature. The others were easily overwhelmed, but who wouldn't be? That thing was a solid hunk of metal and I knew first hand that it hit hard. From this angle I could only see Sif who was breathing heavily behind an old blue ford Taurus. I allowed myself to think how funny it would be if that car blew up, just the car though.

The sparks started flying from my fingers, energy coursing sporadically through my veins. The sand fell off my wounds as if washed off and they closed to reveal new and unmarred skin. This was getting a bit more frustrating.

"What is he doing?" I glanced at the street again. Thor was talking to Sif, pushing her back followed by a rather tired looking Fandral and Hogun. So was this thing invincible? Thor stepped forward, facing the destroyer with sad eyes. I knew what he was doing. Volstagg placed a hand on my waist, keeping me blocked. I roared in protest. Thor was my friend and Loki wasn't supposed to be this way. What had gone wrong in his head? I screamed and the flickering flame became a full on force of blue. My body was consumed in seconds. The destroyer pulled it's hand back and Thor was knocked to the ground, badly beaten with several nasty looking cuts on his face.

I slammed my entire body into the metal of the things chest hearing a squeaking as the impact bent some of the silver muscles. The whole creature went flying back, skidding in the dirt just as I had.

"That one is for Thor you fucking asshole!" Yeah I was kind of pissed at this point. I held my ground, the blue tendrils of my hair flying around my head in their own wind. The destroyer stood up slowly, it's facial cavity opening up. I raised my hand to send a blast into the opening…except it didn't work. There was a tiny spark of flame that petered out extremely quickly. I jumped back, floating back down to the ground as my opponent came for me once more.

"Fine, then I'll do this the old fashioned way!" I charged again, faking to the side as he attempted to stop my punch. My leg slammed into the metal of the thing's hip. Again it went flying, slamming into the brick of one of the outlying shops.

"Come on Loki is that all you've got?!" I screamed into the rubble. Yes I furious with him. This was pointless, foolish, and I thought he knew better than this.

"I thought you'd give a shit if Thor was hurt or maybe even if I was hurt! You want to keep this up I'll come to Asgard and kick your skinny ass myself!" I body slammed the destroyer back into the ground, once again making the metal bend beneath my fingers. I just wanted to keep hitting this thing as if it were the god I so desperately wanted to see. My fists slammed into the metal, causing puncture wounds. The tears that streamed down my cheeks evaporated instantly. I wanted this thing to die so badly but wasn't sure why.

The destroyer pushed me back, but it was only hard enough to get me off of it's body. I glided back to a decent distance, waiting to see what it would do. The smash of thunder reached my ears. I looked up quickly, seeing the clouds accumulate in seconds. I turned back to my opponent. He wasn't moving, just staring at me. Wasn't he avid about attacking me a few moments ago? I stared at the closed face, trying to read the mind of it's controller, but got nothing. Another crack of thunder peeled from the sky, a powerful strike of lightning giving me a backdrop. I took my attention off of the destroyer to see Thor catch the falling Mjolnir.

The air was thick with the lightning as he stood, his armor beginning to reform on his body. His arms had silver scales running up towards the dark blue and silver chest plate. A flowing red cape extended from the shoulders. His leg armor matched the chest piece, silver armor with blue leather supports. How was this stuff not unbearably hot?

"Wow." I saw Darcy mouth. Jane backed off as Thor began descending the street to my location. The silver circles on his breast plate shone and sparked with lightning. As he reached me he nodded in acknowledgement.

"You have done well my friend, I see what you mean by strange." He grinned as he looked upon my solid bright blue metallic body.

"Yes well, let's get down to business unless you would like to do this yourself." Thor bowed slightly.

"It would be an honor to go into battle with you my lady." I smirked, turning to the unmoving destroyer. Time for some real payback.

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Loki shook in rage. Thor had regained his powers and now Naiira was working with him. He knew she would be like all the others, falling for his brother's whims as soon as he snapped his fingers. Yet isn't this what he subconsciously wanted? Somehow he had always known what he was planning was wrong, but never had the balls to stop. Maybe he had allowed there to be an instance where Thor would be judged worthy of Mjolnir once more and maybe he even set up Thor to work with Naiira because he would never fully deserve her.

No, that was just ridiculous…right? He shook his head, he had come too far for this. His plan had to continue. He left the destroyer to it's fate, moving away from the throne and walking down the halls. A few bowed to him in reverence. He sneered, none of these people would follow him if they had a choice in the matter. Loki would prove he was worthy of this praise, he would become a worthy king before handing the throne back over to his father. He made his way to the stables and mounted a horse to speak with Heimdall. The man had committed high treason against his king and that was cause for exile, yet Loki had better ideas.

With the ancient casket of winters hidden by his magick, he rode off down the bifrost and to the start of his long held-back fate.


	13. Chapter 13

Thor began to swing his hammer faster and faster, the wind picking up around us.

"When I say so, push him to the ground." He commanded. I agreed, rising into the air next to him. The wind formed the funnel of a tornado. At first the destroyer stayed planted firmly upon the ground. His face was turned on Thor alone, the facial cavity opening once more. Thor swung a few larger circles and the wind's fury increased. The metal feet of the guardian left the ground slowly as he was picked up by the powerful whirlwind. I dodged another of the thing's fire shots, floating before it, waiting. The lightning electrocuted me and the destroyer affecting neither of us.

In fact, I looked even more wild absorbing the electricity while the destroyer simply reflected the blasts off it's various surfaces.

"Now!" Thor's hammer stopped as he flew full force towards the creatures left side. I pushed the right with all my might, the energy sparking as it caused dents in the once smooth surface. It was beginning to look so much less of a human type being to a giant scrap of metal. We pushed together towards the ground. I concentrated, an explosion of force resonating from my mind down into my fingertips. Just as the thing hit the ground the sparks from my fingers became a full-fledged ray of bright blue light. The being was consumed by the mixture of my energy and Thor's lightning, the metal breaking apart beneath me until it was fully disintegrated. The back fire sent a wave of my energy to all sides, Thor's lightning charging it as it went. I landed just next to Darcy in time to absorb the hit.

"We don't want you go get electrocuted do we? After all it usually is you that does the electrocuting." I grinned at Darcy who just smiled back weakly. Thor came walking forward looking all bad ass with that cape swishing behind him in the wind. Jane was staring with her mouth gaping open.

"So this is what you usually look like huh? It's a good look for you." She observed, circling him like a predator circling it's prey. Thor didn't look the least bit uncomfortable, especially when Jane started running her hands all over him. My body flickered again and I ducked behind Darcy. She looked confused, but I raised my hands, unable to touch her.

"Stay still and don't look. I'm going to be naked in a few seconds and there are a few too many men around here." The blue glow disappeared just as Darcy was about to open her mouth again. Now I could touch her, keeping close to her back while looking over her shoulder. No one seemed to notice for a few moments at least. That was until Thor turned to speak to me.

"My lady, are you…what is wrong?" Darcy shielded me as Thor got closer.

"Probably not the best thing to do big boy." She muttered. The others looked confused.

"When I transform my clothes always burn off." I explained. Thor understood rather quickly, turning away in respect. Fandral and Volstagg continued to stare stupidly.

"Well don't be rude, turn around." Sif muttered. The two men jumped in slight surprise and turned around much to the amusement of Jane and Sif.

"We should be off, Asgard awaits." Fandral cleared his throat, trying to change the subject.

"Good idea." Volstagg agreed. They started moving forward and Thor walked over to Jane. I stayed behind Darcy, trying to summon my powers, but there was not even a spark left. My body wasn't responding to my call.

"Maybe we should cloth me before we follow?" I whispered to Darcy. We backed up, the girl keeping her arms spread wide as if it would protect me further from prying eyes. Selvig and Jane stayed outside as we walked into the old fast food drive in. Once out of sight Darcy ran to her pack to find a spare set of clothes.

"You would think that I would have a few extra pairs of clothes after this happened a good few times." I muttered, rather frustrated at the whole situation. Darcy laughed and passed me an old short sleeved Pink Floyd T-shirt and some torn up jeans. I reached for them, but stopped.

"What's wrong?" I wasn't sure, nor could I answer. It was as if I was paralyzed, I couldn't move at all. Darcy's lips were moving, but I could no longer hear her speaking. A sharp pain erupted in my chest, but I couldn't move to try and ease it. Darcy was panicking, calling for Jane. She ran out of my field of vision before reappearing with Jane and Sif at her side. They yelled something back at the boys and then hurried away, Darcy being pulled by Jane.

A sudden thundering erupted in my ears, the pain erupting through every pore. I could feel the call as I had before, the pull on my mind and yet somehow it was different. It seemed I was sending out the call this time and the answer was the pain, a wall of guarded consciousness that I could not break. Finally my body responded and I collapsed to the ground. The noise of the area was brief, the sound of the wind and far off shouts before the whole world went black.

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Within the black I was clothed, wearing a long flowing silver gown that sparkled as if emitting it's own light. I felt like a star as I moved through this new place. The only light came from me, showing nothing but empty space ahead. The farther I walked, the more pressure seemed to weigh upon me. I smacked headlong into something, falling back, but finding nothing in my path.

I reached out and placed my hand against an invisible, solid surface. The contact caused a shot of pain to move up my arm. I removed my hand, seeing that something strange had happened. Droplets of blood were appearing on my skin, yet in seconds they were gone. What was this barrier and where was I exactly?

"Hello?" I called, but the sound died quickly within the space. What was I to do? If I moved backward there may not be a way out, it was much more common that people escaped situations by moving forward. Yet here was a wall of some sort in my way.

Across my palm I felt the slight spark of energy reach my fingertips, the light emitted from it seemed to penetrate the solid surface. I held my hand up and tried again, flickering blue flames casting shadows over the obstruction. There beyond the wall stood Loki. He was looking elsewhere, the scene around him full of turmoil and chaos. It was raining, the wind whipping about him as he simply did nothing. Surely he could change the scene if he wanted to couldn't he?

I slammed my fist against the wall, calling out. Once again my voice died quickly and the pain shot up my arm. This time a good amount of blood pooled within my palm and fell to the ground causing ripples of white at my feet. I ignored it and tried again, bringing my other fist forward and connecting it with the wall. Again blood fell from my hand to the ground causing ripples. This time it was easier to ignore the pain. I tried to charge my fists with energy, smacking them hard against the dark surface before me. It hurt worse, but I saw the smallest of fractures appear beneath my fingertips.

"Loki!" I screamed, beginning to kick at the wall. Blood dribbled down my legs, from my feet and hands causing more and more of the white ripples beneath me. More and more fractures appeared as I tried to transform. The more power I used, the more it hurt as well. With that pain came more blood seeming to ooze from my every pore. I needed to get to Loki, that desperate desire drove me forward.

"Loki! Listen to me!" I threw my body against the invisible shield. This time he looked and the rain stopped. My knee made contact and the fractures spread. One last scream and my whole body smacked hard against the solid, the fractures joining together. The wall shattered, the pain fading slowly as I stared at the one person I could never forsake. Loki looked surprised and rather confused. I climbed over the rubble of the wall, slow at first to make sure it wouldn't hurt like I assumed it might.

When it was confirmed that no further obstacle lay ahead, I yielded to that one absolute desire. At full speed I took off, running straight into his arms. His whole body tensed as I wrapped my arms tightly around his waist. I could already feel the tears falling down my cheeks. For a few gut wrenching moments I thought he might have wished me gone, but he relaxed, lacing his own arms around my torso. I could hear him breathing, feel his body cool and flush against mine. My heart was beating so fast I thought it would explode. Without thinking I leaned up, placing a sweet chaste kiss to his lips. He didn't fight it, but he didn't return the gesture either.

"How did you get over here?" He asked, his voice breathless. I know it wasn't the time, but it made my body hot when he talked like that.

"I don't know, I guess I just broke the wall." He still looked a good bit surprised.

"I'm sorry, I can't tell you too much about that. I'm the subconscious version of your Loki. He is awake and aware at the moment." This hadn't happened before, but I was intrigued.

"So I'm seeing his mind without his permission right now." I whispered to myself. Loki nodded gently, pressing his lips to my forehead.

"Does that mean I can figure out his…your true intentions if I ask you?" Loki nodded again. Oh yes, this could be good.

"Is there anything I can do for you from here?" This time he shook his head.

"No, I can only distract my conscious self which has already been done. Thanks to you an entire race shall be saved." I nodded, setting my head against Loki's chest. I closed my eyes and listened to the steady beat of his heart.

"Why are you doing this?" I asked. The Loki before me sighed, running his fingers through my hair. My god, the contact sent tingles of electricity down my spine. Even subconsciously his magick reacted to mine.

"I wish to prove myself to the family I never deserved. I resent my brother for winning the attention of my world and my parents for keeping secrets from me." I turned to face Loki, a smile, a serious genuine smile was across his features. I liked it, but didn't think he would ever do it of his own free will. This Loki was unhindered, uninhibited, and unfiltered. That was how the subconscious usually worked after all.

"So you mean to do what exactly?" There was a few moments of hesitation before Loki answered.

"I have saved my father from an assassination attempt and now that loathsome race of Jotunn shall be forever destroyed by the bifrost." There was a growl in his voice, a certain pride that was driving him forward.

"Would your father truly want that Loki? He banished Thor for trying and now you fall prey to his foolishness." There was a recognition in his eyes as I spoke.

"Yes, I know. I know it is wrong, but the pain runs deep. They betrayed me you know, by not telling me the truth. I was different, always, and now I understand why. No one ever really loved me, it was always Thor who got that love. They should have told me from the beginning what I was." So that was how he felt. Yes, it made a good amount of sense really.

"They only wanted to protect you from yourself. Trust me, sometimes I wish I hadn't known about my powers when I was a kid. Maybe things would have been more tranquil that way." I had always wondered about that, what would happen if I hadn't gotten my powers until later. The other kids might have liked me and then maybe I would have gotten out of that orphanage earlier. At the same time however, I was glad. Without these powers I never would have met Tony, Pepper, or even Loki. The subconscious Loki seemed to catch onto this.

"Yet you met me, so it can't be all bad." He smirked. I laughed out loud. Even his subconscious was a cocky bastard. I wondered if he and Tony would get along if they ever met.

"Yes, you are one of the perks Loki, my favorite actually." It was true really. I loved Tony and Pepper more than anything else in the world, but Loki was just so different. Everything about him drew me in, called to me. He rubbed his thumbs across my cheeks, bending down to press those delightfully soft lips to my own. I felt that spark you were always supposed to feel when you cared for someone this deeply. He turned his head, pushing harder against me. My body was flush against his, those lips fitting mine so perfectly. He pulled away quicker than I would have liked.

"No matter what I say, I will always enjoy that." He breathed against my lips before giving me a quick peck and pulling his head away to rest it on my own.

"That's great to hear, cause I don't think I'll ever get tired of kissing you." He laughed, the motion making his chest heave. I could feel his laughter. If given the choice I don't think I'd ever let go. His arms suddenly tightened around me, a vice grip that had been nothing like before.

"What is it?" He gulped in a few breaths. That was when I saw it, blood was running down his forehead. There was no cut, it was just appearing before my eyes. My confusion was obvious as he fell to his knees in pain.

"Loki!" I cried, bending down to his level. He held his chest.

"Sorry, it's pain that my conscious self feels. I'm not bodily harmed, just emotionally." He muttered. I understood. The blood from his head was an insult to his intelligence while the fact that he was gripping his heart meant something hurt his pride or perhaps the heart itself.

"I wish I could heal your pain." I whispered, pressing my own hand to his chest. The bleeding stopped at least. Loki's hand gripped mine, the one pressed over his chest.

"But you do, so much more than you realize." A few more moments of nothing except his heavy breathing. When he looked at me again his face was tired.

"I'm so sorry Naiira." There was something different about his voice, the edge that seemed much more real.

"Loki?" He nodded, keeping a grip on my hand while brushing my cheek with his other one. His conscious self was here now, touching me.

"I was happy to have met you Naiira, don't let anyone tell you different." He whispered. Something was wrong. The longer we stayed there, the fainter his heartbeat become and the less solid his body was. I panicked, trying to grab at anything of the disappearing god. The last thing I saw were those bright green eyes, a tear dripping to the ground, and then he was gone.

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Loki had felt pain at first, a pain that had distracted him from Thor if only for a few moments. That was the only opening his brother needed. He could feel in his mind a beautiful feeling that reminded him of how it felt to be with Naiira. As he fought, there was an ache in his heart as if he was reaching out for her. He insulted Jane, activated the bifrost, and then he intentionally lost. His concentration broken, he could do nothing else as Thor slammed his hammer into the crystal of the bifrost. He would never be able to see her again and now Loki would also be cut off from the mortal he so wanted to meet. At the end, when they hung from the remnants of the rainbow bridge he knew it was time.

After refusing before, Loki gave into the call. His arms were around the one person who had never lied to him, who simply could not lie to him. In the real world his father caught Thor's ankle having awoken from the Odin sleep.

"I'm so sorry Naiira." He wanted to say so much more, but there was no time. It would be over soon, his world would end. Loki squeezed her hand, the one placed over his own heart. He reached to touch her face, that beautiful face that looked so worried about him. He let himself smile, a weak attempt but she deserved a try at the very least.

"I was happy to have met you Naiira, don't let anyone tell you different." A look of confusion and pain overcame those deep blue eyes. For a moment he came to himself, watching Odin and shouting up at him even though he knew it was in vain.

"I could have done it father! For you! For all of us!" He called. Odin looked sadly upon his youngest son.

"No Loki." Somewhere in his mind he could still feel Naiira's skin beneath his fingertips. Thor protested, but the god of mischief only smiled as he let go of the scepter that kept him grounded. He fell into the abyss caused by the bifrost, closing his eyes as he felt the frantic cries of not only his brother, but of the woman he had come to care so deeply for. She was still reaching for him as he disappeared, a single tear sliding down his cheek. He whispered something to the wind as the chasm swallowed him whole and his world remained black forever.


End file.
